Following the outstanding success of last year’s inaugural tournament, this year the Belfast Classic has doubled in size, bringing 8 NCAA Division I College teams to compete for the Belfast Classic Cups. This year CBS Sports Network will televise two games per day, including two live bracket finals from Belfast’s SSE Arena into 60 million homes live across America. In addition to CBS SN, BBC Sport NI Online will broadcast two collegiate basketball games live on day two of the tournament, Friday 30th November. The Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic’s partnership with both CBS SN and BBC Sport NI Online will provide the capacity to showcase the talents of eight NCAA Division I college basketball teams to college sports fans and basketball enthusiasts across the UK and United States, against the backdrop of Northern Ireland’s capital city which is on the rise on the global stage.
Marc Mulholland, Executive Producer of Broadcasting and Executive Director of the Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic said: “We are delighted to welcome CBS Sports Network back onboard as we have the opportunity once again to bring NCAA Division I College basketball back to Belfast, Northern Ireland. We have forged a great working relationship with CBS Sports Network, as we built a strong foundation during last year’s Belfast Classic by delivering a highly successful broadcast production which led to strong viewing results from homes throughout America. “We are also very excited to welcome a broadcast partnership with BBC Sport NI Online for this year’s tournament, meaning The Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic will now reach a wider UK sporting audience, enabling us to continue to tell the positive story of Northern Ireland and present the great work of the Sport Changes Life Foundation. It is extremely important that our great tournament can reach our friends, family members, university supporters and fans of the game across the United States of America via CBS Sports Network, but equally important is that this high level of basketball is available to audiences across the United Kingdom so that we can show the world the beauty of Northern Ireland, the perfect setting for international sporting events.”
Aubrey Irwin, Manager, Emerging Markets, Tourism Ireland, added: “The partnerships with CBS Sports Network and BBC Sport NI Online are not only a boon for the Tournament, but also for Northern Ireland as a whole. Tourism Ireland is delighted to have helped aid the CBS Sports Network partnership once again and looks forward to showing off Northern Ireland to a global audience.”
Greg Procino, Vice President, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame commented: “We are thrilled to have CBS Sports Network and BBC Sport NI Online as the Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic’s television partners for the second year of the tournament. For us, it is especially important to have an American media platform broadcasting live from the tournament as it will ensure all friends, family and colleges can support their teams from home as the players get the unique opportunity to play basketball abroad.”
Barry Funston, Chief Executive at The Rory Foundation, commented on the broadcast partnerships: “Once again, we are delighted to partner with The Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic. If last year’s tournament is anything to go by, this year will be an even bigger success. It’s fantastic that the tournament will be broadcast live in front of millions of sporting enthusiasts across the USA and around the world via CBS Sports Network and BBC Sport NI Online.”
The Belfast Classic tournament has been brought to Northern Ireland through a partnership with the Sport Changes Life Foundation, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Metro Athletic Conference (MAAC). The tournament will feature teams from well-known sporting universities across the USA including University at Albany; University at Buffalo; Dartmouth College; LIU Brooklyn; Marist College; University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee; University of San Francisco; and Stephen F. Austin University.
The Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic kindly thanks event partners and sponsors including: the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), The Rory Foundation, Tourism Northern Ireland, Tourism Ireland, Belfast City Council, Velocity Worldwide, Basketball Ireland, official airline partner Aer Lingus, Chaka Travel, medical partners Kingsbridge Private Hospital, Hastings Hotels, and Massive PR for their support in enabling the growth of the 2018 Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic.
For more information on the Classic visit www.belfastbasketballclassic.com or follow the event on Facebook.com/belfastbasketballclassic, Twitter @BelfastClassic and Instagram @BelfastBasketballClassic
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