The National Basketball League (NBL) has appointed The Gifted Group and Speak Communications as its talent and public relations agency partners in Australia for the 2024/25 season.
Beginning on 1 August, the two agencies will spearhead the NBL’s influencer, talent, and PR initiatives.
The NBL says the partnership aims to support its ambition to “elevate the visibility, popularity and engagement of basketball across the country.”
Edward Deal, founder of The Gifted Group said: “Our partnership with the NBL presents an exciting opportunity to utilise our expertise in creator marketing to continue to expedite the rapid growth of Australian basketball. By leveraging our extensive network and innovation in the space, we aim to create compelling and authentic content to help the NBL shine both on and off the court.”
Snezana Hay, founder of Speak Communications said: “Put simply, sport is our jam. Our extensive experience and connections we’ve built in this space, coupled with our passion for sports, has given us an unmatched understanding on how to engage and cultivate fans and intertwine with culture.
“We are thrilled to bring this expertise to our partnership with the NBL. The NBL has been a significant force in promoting basketball in Australia, and we’re eager to help amplify its reach and impact. Together, we look forward to developing MVP-worthy narratives and campaigns that will not only engage current fans but also attract new audiences to the game.”
The NBL announcement comes as Prime Video, the NBA, and the WNBA entered an 11-year media rights agreement last week, beginning with the 2025-26 NBA season.
In the deal, Prime Video will present exclusive global coverage of 66 regular-season NBA games, including an opening week doubleheader, a new Black Friday NBA game, and all games from the Knockout Rounds of the Emirates NBA Cup, including the in-season tournament’s Semifinals and Finals.
The agreement also gives Prime Video exclusive WNBA postseason games for the first time, including one first-round series each year, plus seven semifinal series and three WNBA Finals over the course of the 11-year deal.
See also: Prime Video, NBA, and WNBA enter 11-year global media rights agreement