Euroleague Basketball and IMG signed a 10-year deal -- with an option for a further 10 years -- to set up a joint venture to form new European competitions from the '16-17 season onward. Euroleague and IMG together will manage the commercial operation and the management of all global rights covering both media and marketing. Euroleague President & CEO Jordi Bertomeu said, "This is without a doubt the biggest decision the clubs have taken in Euroleague history after the one they took in June 2000 and that supposed its foundation." Meeting in Barcelona on Tuesday, the 11 clubs that currently possess A licenses in the Euroleague -- Anadolu Efes Istanbul, CSKA Moscow, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, FC Barcelona Lassa, Fenerbahce Istanbul, Laboral Kutxa Vitoria Gasteiz, Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv, Olympiacos Piraeus, Panathinaikos Athens, Real Madrid and Zalgiris Kaunas -- agreed on a new competition model as a step toward a true European league in which all teams play each other every season. The league will have a new format with 16 teams: 11 permanent franchises (potentially expandable in the future), a berth for the Eurocup champion, three direct-access spots for domestic league champions and one place for the winner of qualifying rounds featuring eight teams. The 16 teams will compete in a round-robin regular season of 30 rounds, to be followed by best-of-five playoffs, with series winners advancing to the Final Four, at which the continental champion will be crowned. The Eurocup will have 24 teams -- 21 with access through domestic leagues and three wild card invitations -- playing in an almost identical format to the one used in recent seasons (IMG). In Madrid, José Luis Martínez reported Euroleague's 10-year agreement with IMG is worth €872M ($937M). The clubs will receive at least €36M ($38.7M) per season, which "could increase based on performance." The clubs "will also maintain ownership of the competition, something that was not included in the offer that FIBA presented last week" (MARCA, 11/10). In Madrid, Josep Margalef reported Barcelona coach Xavi Pascual said of the new agreement, "It is an agreement that must satisfy the viewer. We play for the public and the fact that there is a regular league with 16 teams of a high level and the ability to see all the Euroleague rivals in our arena is very important because currently you can go a year without playing against teams that could be champions" (AS, 11/11). The DPA reported it is not yet known if the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) "will receive one of the three direct-access spots." For the past three years, two BBL teams have participated in the Euroleague. Bayern Munich Managing Dir Marko Pesic: "For German basketball the current status is an advantage." The BBL "will try to find a common position on the league's future direction" in the upcoming weeks. BBL President Alexander Reil: "We certainly have an interest, and we want, that German clubs participate in European competitions. But the framework has to be right" (DPA, 11/11).
