PBA Reaches Agreement to Expand
Television Coverage into Europe

More than 116.5 million European households from the North Pole to the Mediterranean, from the Atlantic Ocean to Asia, will have an opportunity to watch the world’s greatest bowlers in action thanks to a landmark television agreement announced today by the Professional Bowlers Association, KPTV in England and the German Bowling Proprietors Association.

In response to an initiative by the German proprietors’ honorary president, Ferdi Janka, the three groups have finalized plans to air 20 Lumbers Liquidators PBA Tour events from the 2008-09 season plus another 20 from the upcoming 2009-10 season.

“The result of this agreement,” said KPTV founder and owner Phil Mison, “is that millions of European bowling fans will have their first opportunity in 10 years to watch a bowling series on TV.”

“For the PBA, it’s another giant step forward in giving our growing international fan base a chance to watch the best players in the world in action over an extended period of time,” said PBA Deputy Commissioner Tom Clark. “It will be especially exciting for European bowling fans because there are more and more world-class international players who are a part of our tour. It’ll be great that fans in Finland can watch Mika Koivuniemi, and British fans can cheer for Stuart Williams as well as the superstars of our American tour.”

“For nearly 10 years, the German Bowling Proprietors Association has been working to place bowling on television on a regular basis,” noted Volker Klien, GBPA Vice President. “Our organization’s 250 members were very happy to provide our support to make this PBA series happen in Europe. It is a very happy and exciting time for bowlers throughout Europe.”

The expansive package will result in PBA Tour telecasts will be aired in 20 languages to 59 nations on Eurosport Television beginning July 9. A minimum of 10 PBA events from the 2008-09 season will air Fridays in prime time on Eurosport 1, the broadcast system’s largest and most popular channel. Another 10 will air weekday evenings on Eurosport 2, which is Eurosport’s equivalent of ESPN2 in the United States.

“This process began two years ago when Eurosport agreed to air the finals of the Bowling World Cup,” Mison said. “The success of World Cup telecasts two years in a row led Eurosport to ask for more bowling events. Their leap of faith, thanks to the cooperation of the PBA and the funding support of the German Bowling Proprietors Association, made it all possible. European bowling fans will now go from no bowling on television two years ago to 120 hours of bowling coverage between July and Christmas, and more after the start of the new year.”

“This is one of the most important landmarks in our organization’s history,” Klien said. “We will open the appeal of bowling to a huge new audience, and it is all possible because people who love bowling got their heads together and made it happen.”

“Bowling fans around the world have heard of Walter Ray Williams Jr., Norm Duke, Pete Weber and the other great stars of the PBA,” Clark added. “Now, for the first time, millions of bowling enthusiasts in Europe will be able to put faces with the names. And don’t forget, the PBA Women’s Series will also be a part of this package, so we haven’t forgotten that side of the sport.”