The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) and CBC Sports announced Tuesday a three-year content partnership, making the public broadcaster the premier media partner of Canada’s only First Division professional basketball league.
CBC Sports will offer live streams of all 70 regular season CEBL games and its five playoff contests on the free CBC Gem streaming service, cbcsports.ca and the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices. CBC will also provide broadcast coverage of seven regular season games and the CEBL Championship Weekend in Edmonton. The CEBL season tips off Thursday, May 7, 2020 when the expansion Ottawa BlackJacks debut on the road against the Niagara River Lions at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. For the complete CEBL season schedule, click here.
CEBL Games on CBC*
Saturday, May 30, 2020 at 4pm ET (1pm PT) Ottawa at Hamilton
Saturday, June 6, 2020 at 4pm ET (1pm PT) Edmonton at Guelph
Saturday, June 13, 2020 at 4pm ET (1pm PT) Fraser Valley at Edmonton
Saturday, June 20, 2020 at 4pm ET (1pm PT) Saskatchewan at Fraser Valley
Saturday, June 27, 2020 at 4pm ET (1pm PT) Hamilton at Guelph
Saturday, July 4, 2020 at 2 pm ET (11am PT) Hamilton at Niagara
Saturday, July 18, 2020 at 4 pm ET (1pm PT) Niagara at Saskatchewan
Sunday, August 16, 2020 at 4pm ET (1pm PT) CEBL Championship
*Dates and times are subject to change.
The partnership was celebrated at The Barbara Frum Atrium within the Canadian Broadcasting Centre in downtown Toronto and featured local community basketball players who showcased their talent with CBC personalities and CEBL stars.
The announcement comes one week after the CEBL announced its first expansion franchise, the Ottawa BlackJacks, which joins the league for the 2020 season. The BlackJacks join the Edmonton Stingers, Fraser Valley Bandits, Guelph Nighthawks, Hamilton Honey Badgers, Niagara River Lions, and Saskatchewan Rattlers during the second CEBL campaign.
Throughout the inaugural CEBL season CBC Sports played a significant role in covering the league, highlighted by its comprehensive coverage during CEBL Championship Weekend in Saskatoon.