2007 Final Four Media Demand Breaks Records

Athens, May 2nd, 2007. Euroleague Basketball is proud to announce that the 2007 Final Four in Athens will once again break records for media coverage.  Television broadcasts of the Final Four will reach 163 countries, more than ever before. Among the markets where the Final Four will be broadcast for the first time are China and Germany. The number of journalists accredited to cover the Final Four on-site in Athens is more than 600, another record. "Euroleague Basketball continuously seeks to offer fans across the globe the opportunity to enjoy the highest level of European basketball," said Jordi Bertomeu, the CEO of Euroleague Basketball. "By opening to new markets and consolidating in others, we are seeing proof of the increasing interest in our league." The 2007 Final Four will be played from Friday, May 4 to Sunday, May 6 at Athens Olympic Indoor Hall in the Greek capital.

With some 21 countries represented among the players and coaches on the four participating teams - CSKA Moscow, Panathinaikos, Tau Ceramica and Unicaja - the Euroleague Final Four is among the most diverse and international team sports event in the world. The same goes for its coverage by the media.

Fans in a record 163 countries and territories will be able to enjoy Final Four television coverage thanks to media partners and host broadcaster SuperSport of Greece. CCTV sports channel 5 will bring the event to public television so that basketball fans in China will be able to see their first Final Four, the same as Center TV and Sportdigital.tv will do in Germany. IBA and Charlton will show the Final Four live for the first time in Israel without Maccabi Tel Aviv as a participant. The ESPN family of networks is the largest broadcaster of the games, reaching 46 African countries, 25 Caribbean countries, 23 more in central America, as well as Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and others. Al Jazeera Sports will bring the Final Four to 23 countries throughout Asia and North Africa, while NBA TV will carry the games in the United States. All told, fans from Albania to Zimbabwe will see the games live with a record 35 networks bringing live coverage of the games that will crown the 2006-07 Euroleague champion.

More than 600 journalists from all over the world have been accredited to cover the 2007 Final Four. A total of 55 percent of the media accreditations are dedicated to journalists from Greece, while the remaining 45 percent have been dispersed among 26 other countries. Among the major media covering the Final Four for the first time is the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The previous record for accredited journalists was 500 last season at the 2006 Final Four in Prague.