CBC Sports and the Canadian Elite Basketball League partner to provide streaming coverage of the inaugural season

CBC Sports coverage tips off on Wednesday, June 12 at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) when the Niagara River Lions take on the Hamilton Honey Badgers

TORONTO, June 10, 2019 /CNW/ - CBC Sports and the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced today a partnership that sees live streams of the remaining 39 games of the inaugural season, as well as the CEBL 2019 Championship Weekend, available on CBC Sports platforms and the CBC Gem streaming service. The CEBL includes six teams – the Fraser Valley Bandits, Edmonton Stingers, Saskatchewan Rattlers, Guelph Nighthawks, Hamilton Honey Badgers, and Niagara River Lions – featuring top Canadian players as well as international talent. The games will be available as live streams within Canada at cbcsports.ca, CBC Gem, and via the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices. For the full schedule of games that will stream across CBC Sports platforms, click here.

"It is a very exciting time for basketball in Canada as the CBC and the CEBL collaborate to showcase all the rich domestic basketball talent that this country has to offer and more," said Glen Grunwald, President and CEO of Canada Basketball. "I find it incredible to see so many Canadians take an interest in the sport and I urge everyone to continue to follow basketball's tremendous rise by tuning in. These are historic times for Canadian basketball."

"It's only fitting that a truly Canadian league partners with a historic Canadian broadcast institution like the CBC," said Mike Morreale, CEO and commissioner of the CEBL. "As a professional domestic league, the CEBL is comprised of top Canadian talent and I am very pleased to know that this will be showcased across the country through CBC Sports' streaming platforms for all Canadians to see."

"Canadians are hungry for basketball, and looking ahead to the anticipation for the sport at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, CBC Sports is thrilled to be the destination for national coverage of our homegrown professional league," said Chris Wilson, Interim Head of CBC Sports. "This is an essential opportunity for fans of the sport from across the country to follow the journeys of the new generation of pro basketball players as they represent our communities and country as whole."  

The CEBL 2019 Championship Weekend runs from August 22-25 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and will feature the top four CEBL teams, including host team the Saskatchewan Rattlers, competing to be crowned the first-ever CEBL Champion.

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About CBC Sports
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's Olympic Network through 2024 and Canada's Paralympic Network through 2020. The national public broadcaster is committed to showcasing Canadian and international athletes and sports across all platforms under the CBC Sports and Hockey Night in Canada brands, including on television, online at cbcsports.ca and via the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices. CBC Sports prides itself on telling the story of the high-performance athlete's journey every step of the way, ensuring Canadians always know the people who represent them before they see them atop the podium.

About the Canadian Elite Basketball League
The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) was born from a need to provide Canadians with a premium basketball option that gives players, coaches, fans and other stakeholders the opportunity to meaningfully engage with one of Canada's most popular sports. With a heavy emphasis on an array of entertainment before, during, and after games, the league, a first division professional league partner of Canada Basketball, is modeled after top international leagues, using FIBA (International Basketball Federation) rules, and player and referee standards set by Canada Basketball. A league created by Canadians for Canadians, CEBL rosters are comprised of at least 70 percent Canadian players, many playing professionally in North America and overseas during the traditional basketball season.  More information about the CEBL can be obtained at www.cebl.ca.

SOURCE Canadian Elite Basketball League

Tanya Koivusalo, Publicist, CBC Sports, [email protected], 416.205.8638