ABA goes to Europe and Africa

October 11, 2004 - American Basketball Association (ABA) News Release


Indianapolis, IN. Joe Newman, ABA Co-Founder, today announced that an agreement has been reached to have ABA games broadcast throughout Europe and Africa on OBE TV beginning this fall. The OBE (Original Black Entertainment) is broadcast to over 40 million households in Eujrope and Africa and is aired on Channel 223 on the Sky Digital Platform. The channel can also be accessed outside of Europe and Africa to viewers who have satellite service accessible to the Eurobird and Hotbird Satellites. More information about OBE including a map if its coverage area can be found at www.obetv.co.uk. According to Newman, "National and international TV will be a part of the ABA this season; we are every excited about this agreement and will be announcing additional television plans shortly."

Newman added, "The agreement with OBE TV was made possible through a strategic partnership with between Gary Nice, CEO of Events Media International, the company handling the ABA radio and television, and Mike Markwell, owner of Markwell Media Productions, a Louisville-based company that produces and distributes television shows, feature films and home entertainment products. Mike is also Vice President of Karma Media, Inc., a publicly-traded cause related marketing company and producers of the critically acclaimed travel show, Estelle's Paradise. With over 15 shows in national and international syndication reaching close to 400 million households worldwide in broadcast, cable and satellite TV, Mike is presently in negotiations with several other broadcasting interests in Europe and Asia to air the ABA Game of the Week for the 2004 season. Markwell stated, "We think the ABA is an extraordinary product; the diversity of ownership and management is unique, the ABA game itself is very exciting and should have great appeal internationally. We are pleased to be working with Gary and the ABA."

Nice concluded, "We're finding great interest in the ABA domestically and worldwide - and are excited about the ability to bring the ABA to so many people - and it all starts in about a month."

For more information, contact Gary Nice at 480 609 7111 or email gnice@talkone.com or contact Mike Markwell at sisonp@msn.com or call 502 459 5036 or log onto www.abalive.com.

Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.



American Basketball Association Stories from October 11, 2004


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