Dubai UAE – Smashi Sports has announced a landmark $1 million media and sponsorship partnership with the UAE Basketball Association, extending the collaboration for the next three seasons: 2025/2026, 2026/2027 and 2027/2028.
Under the renewed agreement, Smashi Sports will serve as the Host Broadcaster and Digital Streaming Partner for UAE Basketball Association domestic competitions, and the Main Jersey Sponsor of the UAE Men’s National Basketball Team, reinforcing its long-term commitment to the growth of basketball across the UAE.
The extension builds on the success of the existing partnership, which has already helped modernise basketball coverage through digital-first broadcasting, expanded audience reach, and consistent league visibility across the region. This renewal also comes on the back of Smashi Sports’ recent regional expansion, including its exclusive live streaming partnership with the Bahrain Zain Basketball Premier League, further strengthening its position as a leading digital broadcaster for local leagues across the GCC.
Elevating an Established Partnership
Having already delivered live coverage, social amplification, and original content for UAE basketball, Smashi Sports will now scale the partnership further, introducing enhanced production technology, deeper storytelling, and a broader distribution strategy to support the next phase of growth.
The three-year collaboration grants Smashi Sports host broadcast and digital streaming rights for UAE Basketball Association domestic competitions, alongside full live production and coverage of league and cup matches. These include:
- UAE Men’s National League
- UAE Men’s Open Cup
- UAE President Cup
- UAE VP Cup
- UAE Women’s National League
- U19 Youth League
- U19 Youth Cup
- DIBC
The partnership will utilise AI-powered camera systems across venues, launch a dedicated Smashi TV basketball channel, and deliver social amplification across Smashi Sports and Augustus Media platforms. It also includes a three-season original documentary series following the UAE Men’s National Basketball Team, main jersey sponsorship of the national team, and integrated marketing campaigns designed to grow the sport and engage fans across the region.
Smashi Sports continues to strengthen its position as a leading digital sports broadcaster for regional leagues and federations.
To date, Smashi Sports has delivered:
- 2.5M+ Reach
- 650K+ Views
- 5.5K+ Total Hours Watched
- 900+ Matches Streamed
- 220K Smashi’ Application downloads
- 30K Registered application users
With 1,000+ regional matches streamed annually, a growing regional audience, and multi-platform distribution, Smashi Sports is redefining how sports content is consumed in the Middle East.
The platform is available to stream anytime, anywhere across leading smart TV and mobile platforms, including Android TV, Apple TV, Google TV, LG Smart TVs, Samsung TVs, Huawei devices, Foxxum, VIDAA and TCL TVs, making it easily accessible at home or on the go.
For brands and partners, the renewed agreement provides a premium, brand-safe environment to reach engaged sports audiences through live content, sponsorship integrations, and long-form storytelling.
Beyond live games, the three-season documentary series will follow the UAE Men’s National Basketball Team, capturing their journey on and off the court and highlighting the growth of the sport nationwide. This long-term content strategy strengthens fan connection, supports athlete visibility, and positions UAE basketball on the regional and global stage.
“Renewing this partnership reflects the trust, results, and shared vision between Smashi Sports and the UAE Basketball Association. Over the past seasons, we’ve seen how digital-first coverage can elevate local sport, and this extension allows us to take that impact even further.”
Richard Fitzgerald, CEO & Founder, Augustus Media
About Smashi’ Sports
Smashi’, a regional content platform with 13 verticals including Business, Gaming, Sports, and Entertainment, and home to live-streamed UAE League matches.
Smashi’ Sports is the Home of UAE Sports and Official Broadcaster for Local Leagues. Smashi’ Sports, on Smashi’ content platform is the region’s premier digital platform for live and on-demand sports coverage. Streaming seamlessly across major social channels, it delivers extensive reach, high engagement, and a dynamic space for brands to connect with passionate audiences. Reaching 2.5+ million with 650k+ views across the season with 5.5k hours watched and a total of 900+ matches streamed across basketball, handball, volleyball, futsal and drifting.
About Augustus Media
Augustus Media is an award-winning Middle Eastern digital media company based in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar. The modern media company has been designed to adapt and evolve to this perpetually changing media environment.
Augustus Media network includes; Lovin’, Smashi’ & ODEUM as its media brands.
Lovin, a local news and entertainment platform present in 22+ cities, known for bitesize news, viral content and community stories.
Odeum, the company’s content production powerhouse specializing in high-quality video, branded content, animation, and audio.
Augustus Media 