Big3, Endemol Team Up For Reality Hoops Tourney

The Big3 basketball league has teamed up with Endemol to produce a reality-show basketball tournament designed to keep players safe during the Coronavirus crisis.

Related: Big3 Basketball Returns This Summer to CBS

“Our No. 1 concern is safety. Aside from being able to work with some of the best producers possible for this type of show, they’re also the right people to ensure safety and health because they’ve done this for over 20 years in hundreds of countries,” said Jeff Kwatinetz, co-founder of Big3. “They’ve specialized in keeping people in quarantined conditions. If anybody knows what they’re doing, it’s them.”

Few details were available about the show, including what network might air it.

Since the crisis erupted, nearly all live sports events have been cancelled or postponed, leaving a big hole in the TV programming grid for the foreseeable future.

The Big3 recently announced an agreement to carry games during the league’s regular season. CBS also carries Big Brother, which is produced by Endemol.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.