Thema-AlternaTV is unveiling FIBA Americas TV, the first branded network offering top international basketball games from the U.S., Canada and Latin America, to cable operators in the U.S. and Latin America. The announcement was made at the Convergencia Show MX 2016 event in Mexico City.This news marks the first time the officially sanctioned games of the Federación Internacional de Basketball (FIBA) leagues from the Americas league will be presented in one viewing destination. The exciting action will see top teams from the U.S., Argentina, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Venezuela, Canada, Uruguay and Panama as they square off throughout the season. This is the latest move to expand FIBAs global reach. Earlier in the year, FIBA announced the inaugural Latin America Select Team game, which was played during the 2016 NCAA Mens Final Four weekend. The event highlighted the basketball, the music, the spectacle, the charisma and the emotion that is Latin America, according to organizers. Basketball is one of the worlds most popular sports, appealing to millennials and mature viewers alike, and transcending language and geography. Our content strategy for acquiring AlternaTV was to capitalize on its relationships and knowledge of the U.S. and Latin America market in an effort to create complementary programming offerings and greater efficiencies with our sister companies. FIBA Americas TV is the ideal channel to kick off the new Thema-AlternaTV partnership and also give cable operators a unique offering for sport fans, said Patrick Rivet, senior vice president Distribution at Thema.Our goal is to offer more and new channels with Latin content into the U.S. marketplace, paving the way for European content and channels down the road. We believe FIBA Americas TV will be extremely popular with carriers across the U.S. and Latin America, as it appeals to an audience encompassing viewers of all socio-economic, ethnic and lifestyle sectors, added Roberto Pérez, the acting general manager at AlternaTV.
