Basketball’s international governing body is reaping the rewards of a commitment to professionalism that has supported the development of the game and delivered record figures for their official website. PASport were chosen as the ideal global partner to help FIBA achieve its goals.

The New Professionalism

A new brand and a new home were just part of the package when FIBA adopted a more professional approach to basketball.

There was also a strategic plan, aimed at helping the sport stand out from the rest amid increasing competition. And there was a new website, tasked with supporting FIBA in its aim to set the pace for basketball and make the game happen anywhere on the planet.

To create a close-knit worldwide basketball network, FIBA needed a global player in sports information. They chose PASport.

Even back in 2003 the focus of the service was identified as the 2006 FIBAWorld Championships in Japan and Brazil, picking up the other events – notably the 2004 Olympics – along the way.

PA Sport worked closely with FIBA to make the most of the opportunity and to establish the site as the first point of reference for basketball news.

International, and In-depth

The PA Sport solution is based on our long-standing reputation for editorial excellence coupled with our relatively recent expansion programme – an investment that enables us to deliver content from around the globe.

In addition to keeping on top of the game’s elite at the FIBA World Championship and the Olympics our journalists faced the challenge of providing the best coverage for the other big events – FIBA World Championship in youth categories, FIBADiamond Ball tournament and FIBA Continental Championship.

Add to that regular editorial roundups from as far afield as Canada and Qatar, Argentina and Angola.

Interviews, player profiles and detailed background articles are all part of an editorial agenda that is set through close consultation between PASport and FIBA.

Content is supplied exclusively to FIBA for use by any of its federations on any media platform. PA Sport can then make it available more widely, helping to promote the game further through the world’s media.

A Championship Performance

By any standards, the FIBAWorld Championship in Japan was a great success and the website certainly played its part. Coverage of the action in print, by broadcast media and on the internet reached new heights. The norm of three days advance media coverage suddenly stretched to previews six weeks ahead.

More than 3,000 media registered to cover the event and for the first time FIBA secured media partnerships with newspapers and specialist magazines worldwide. Meanwhile the web traffic smashed all records, with 9.5 million unique visitors and 400 million page views – approximately 150 times greater than FIBA experienced during the 2004 Olympics.

Florian Wanniger, FIBA’s Head of Communications, was suitably impressed. “We are delighted with the success of the events and we have no doubt that the increased professionalism demonstrated by FIBA and PASport played a big part in our achievement,” he said. “We are confident that our continuing partnership with PA Sport will continue to help us develop and promote the game”.

The aim now is to build on the success so far. PASport will work with FIBA to extend the global reach of their reinforced partnership and to deliver further improvements in time for the Beijing Olympics and the 2010 FIBAWorld Championships in Turkey.

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