The National Basketball Association and Turner Broadcasting System will jointly manage the NBA’s domestic digital businesses, starting in full with the 2008-09 season and running through the 2015-16 season. The portfolio includes programming, marketing and technical operations of NBA TV, hosting and operating the NBA.com network (NBA.com, WNBA.com and NBADLeague.com), broadband and wireless. International rights are being handled separately; for instance, the new NBA China has the rights for that country.

SEE ALSO: NBA Extensions With Disney, Turner Include ‘Robust’ Digital Rights, Including Mobile

Asked why go in this direction when the NFL, most recently, and MLBAM went in house, NBA Commissioner David Stern said it reflects the way the NBA is doing business today: “We have extraordinary opportunities on a global scale. ... We think we are in an ‘era of partnership’ ... having your own expertise in every aspect of a business is ultimately going to turn out to be too expensive for us and, ultimately not the best opportunity for growth.” In this case, the NBA taps into Turner’s expertise in programming, production and digital, as well as its integrated sales—with the comfort level that comes from 24 years of working together through Turner’s cable rights.

As part of the deal, Turner returned the digital rights from its recent contract extension with the league; the rights, including digital, were included for games being aired by the network—a first. ABC/ESPN (NYSE: DIS) retains its rights.

—Among its previous mobile deals, the NBA was part of a basketball package on now-bankrupt MVNO Amp’d that included streaming NBA TV. Currently, NBA Mobile includes a WAP site, the usual ringtones and wallpaper, games, and NBA2GO (with and without video).

More details at our sister site paidContent.org.