The Australian National Basketball League's demerger from Basketball Australia was formalized on Friday, "six days from tip-off" to the new '13-14 season, according to Boti Nagy of THE ADVERTISER. A "process begun in June was concluded in Sydney" with re-negotiated agreements with Network Ten and Perform "confirmed for a further two years." Fans will see "more live games on free-to-air television," with 23 live matches in the eastern states at 2pm on Sundays and nine live from Perth on Fridays at 9:30pm on ONE. There will be "14 additional Friday night matches shown on delay in the same timeslot." NBL Interim CEO Steve Dunn said, "Our intention was to finalize the demerger by June this year but the legal processes that have needed to be followed has taken a lot longer than we had hoped" (THE ADVERTISER, 10/4). NZ NEWSWIRE reported "the newly formed independent NBL has now taken full control of the league and its brand after the split was officially ratified in Sydney on Friday." Basketball Australia CEO Kristina Keneally said that BA would "continue to work with the NBL to make sure the league remains strong and complies with FIBA rules." Keneally: "We look forward to seeing them recapitalize the league, provide increased resources, and allow the NBL to grow its commercial success as it builds towards financial viability" (NZ NEWSWIRE, 10/5).
