MTV has secured the television broadcast rights for the Lebanon Basketball Championship for the next four seasons (2024-2025, 2025-2026, 2026-2027, 2027-2028) after an intense bidding contest with the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International (LBCI). The auction concluded with MTV winning the rights for a record amount of $10.67 million for the upcoming four seasons.
The bidding session lasted about two and a half hours and took place at the Antoine Choueiry Basketball Pavilion, attended by the head of the federation, Akram Halabi, his deputy Jihad Saleeba, secretary Charbel Michel Rizk, treasurer Viken Jergian, board member accountant Hicham Grady, several federation members, president of Hops Club Jasem Qansouh, representatives from both stations, and a large number of press and media personnel.
In his welcoming remarks, Halabi congratulated the administrative and technical teams and the players of the Lebanese men's national team for qualifying for the Olympic qualifying tournament semifinals, adding that Lebanese basketball continues to uphold the reputation of Lebanese sports in international arenas. He spoke about the public bidding session, which was conducted for the first time transparently and live on air, emphasizing that basketball is soaring high and remains the most popular sport in Lebanon.
Lawyer Rizk provided detailed insights into the terms of the bidding and related matters, announcing that the rights cover both men’s and women’s first divisions and the Lebanon Cup. The bidding process began at $1.2 million, ultimately culminating with MTV successfully offering the highest amount of $10.67 million, setting a record that has never been achieved in the history of Lebanese sports, particularly basketball.
At the end of the session, Halabi stated that Lebanese basketball is the first winner and expressed gratitude to both stations for their fair competition.
