The Basketball Tournament, FOX Sports announce multi-year agreement

FOX Sports and The Basketball Tournament (TBT), the $1 million winner-take-all summer hoops event, on Thursday announced a multi-year media rights agreement to carry games on FOX, FS1, and FS2.

TBT will have 27 of its games air live, including three on FOX. 

“We are thrilled to make FOX Sports the new home of TBT,” said TBT co-owner and Golden State Warriors guard Chris Paul. “The event has experienced tremendous growth these past few years and this will take it to new heights. With a growing number of players I’ve crossed paths with in the league committed to play, this summer will be both competitive and entertaining for TBT.”

“We are excited to kick off our second decade of TBT with FOX Sports,” said TBT founder and CEO Jon Mugar. “Across FOX, FS1, and FS2, we will reach more basketball fans than ever before, further cementing TBT as a mainstay on the basketball calendar. This summer will make for our most electrifying tournament yet.”

“FOX Sports is always looking to expand our basketball offerings and TBT is a perfect opportunity to provide more top-notch action to basketball fans across the nation,” said Bill Wanger, Executive Vice President, Head of Programming and Scheduling. “We are thrilled to showcase TBT across the FOX Sports family of networks this summer and in years to come.” 

TBT is a 64-team, single-elimination tournament hosted across eight regionals. All regional events are hosted by an alumni team representing a college basketball program. This summer’s locations and host teams include:

• Wichita, Kansas (hosted by the AfterShocks/Wichita State)
• Houston, Texas (hosted by Forever Coogs/University of Houston)
• Indianapolis, Indiana (hosted by All Good Dawgs/Butler University)
• Cincinnati, Ohio (hosted by Nasty Nati/University of Cincinnati)
• Dayton, Ohio (hosted by Red Scare/University of Dayton)
• Lexington, Kentucky (hosted by La Familia/University of Kentucky)
• Louisville, Kentucky (hosted by The Ville/University of Louisville)
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (hosted by Zoo Crew/University of Pittsburgh)

TBT’s regionals will run July 19-24. One team from each region will advance to TBT’s quarterfinals, which will take place July 29-30. TBT’s semifinals will be played on Aug. 2, and the $1 million winner-take-all championship will be played on Aug. 4.

Notable players committed this year include former NBA players Eric Bledsoe and Willie Cauley-Stein of La Familia, the Kentucky alumni team, and Russ Smith and Montrezl Harrell of The Ville, the Louisville alumni team.

The three games scheduled to air live on FOX include The Ville’s first-round game of the Louisville Regional on July 20, La Familia’s second-round game (if they advance) of the Lexington Regional on July 21, and the $1 million championship game on August 4.

TBT’s full television schedule and additional broadcast details will be released at a later date.

Now entering its 11th year, The Basketball Tournament has grown tremendously in popularity among both fans and players. A record 77,000 fans attended TBT games across the country last year, including 7,202 for TBT’s quarterfinals, a new TBT single-game record. More than 75 players with NBA experience competed in the event in 2023, the most in tournament history.

TBT is also the home of the Elam Ending®, the alternate ending to basketball games where teams play to a Target Score™, which has previously been used in the NBA All-Star game and is currently in use in the G League, the CEBL, and other events across the globe.

For more information on The Basketball Tournament, visit thetournament.com.

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