This agreement gives Spanish fans the opportunity to see their national team compete in the world's biggest basketball tournaments over the next three years, with viewers will be able to follow the games on the Mediaset Sports television channels and on the online platform. 

Patrick Baumann, FIBA's secretary general who is also an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, welcomed the partnership with the Spanish broadcaster and said it was particularly appropriate with the revamped FIBA World Championship making its debut as the FIBA World Cup in Spain next year.

"It is a great pleasure for us to announce this signed agreement with Mediaset España - a leading broadcaster in Spain - especially in view of the fact that the first-ever FIBA Basketball World Cup will be played in Spain in 2014," he said.

"This will enable all Spaniards to follow the performance of their national basketball team, which has already given them so many reasons to celebrate in recent years.

"This broadcast agreement also complements the strong results achieved on the joint sponsorship programme between FIBA and FEB (Spanish Basketball Federation)."


As the two-time reigning European champions, the Spanish national team has already qualified for this year's EuroBasket tournament, where they will be aiming to win a third consecutive continental title in September, as well as being automatically qualified for the 2015 edition in Ukraine.

They also qualify for the 2014 FIBA World Cup, basketball's flagship event, as the host nation, where Olympic and world champions the United States are the only other team to have already booked a spot at the competition.

"Mediaset Sport is excited about bringing these great basketball tournaments into the Spanish homes," Mediaset España's head of rights acquisition, Ghislain Barrois, said.

"Basketball is a sport with a large following and a great future potential in Spain.

"This is the first time that Mediaset España includes national team basketball in its sports offer and we are proud of doing it now, when the national team is at its best.

"The FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain will be the major sports event and a huge basketball celebration throughout the country."

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