The National Pickleball League has signed a broadcast agreement with CBS Sports, the first television deal for the league. Terms were not disclosed. When reached by SBJ, NPL CEO Paul Bamundo declined to comment on the deal’s structure or financials. The only scheduled piece of NPL-CBS programming in place as of this writing is a Jan. 31 broadcast of the NPL’s “Gamma Sports National Pickleball League Championship” -- which took place in 2023 -- at 10:30pm ET on CBS Sports Network.
CBS is expected to carry additional NPL programming during its 2024 season, but plans for the latter are not yet finalized. “We’re still, frankly, deciding that,” Bamundo said.
A six-team competition for Champions Division (age 50+) professional pickleball players, the NPL was founded in late 2022 and enters its second season in 2024. Following a combine in March and draft in April, the 2024 season will begin in May and include five monthly events. In 2023, the league livestreamed each of its events on its website, handling production in-house.
