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Basque pelota

EITB Kirolak

The pelota desk of the Basque public broadcaster — live finals on ETB1 and a full results service for hand pelota, cesta punta, remonte and pala, under a rights contract that runs out during 2026.
✓ Last reviewed: September 2026
TypePublic broadcaster’s sports service (ETB1, kirolakeitb.eus)
OwnerBasque Government (EITB, law of 20 May 1982)
Audience168,000 for the 2025 Manomanista final (EITB)
RightsBainet contract — ends during 2026; renewal not found

What is EITB Kirolak?

Kirolak EITB is the sports service of Euskal Irrati Telebista, the Basque public broadcaster created by a unanimous law of the Basque Parliament on 20 May 1982 and owned by the Basque Government. Its pelota section — now at kirolakeitb.eus — carries news, live-match indicators, results and standings by competition and season, and the broadcasts themselves go out on ETB1.[1] [2]

What does it cover?

Hand pelota above all — the Cuatro y Medio, Parejas and Manomanista championships — plus cesta punta, the Jai Alai League and the CaixaBank Masters, daily, in Basque and Spanish.[1] [3]

What is its reach and standing?

EITB publishes its own audiences: the 2025 Manomanista final drew 168,000 viewers in the Basque Country, a 16.1 per cent share (21.9 per cent among Basque speakers) and 28.2 per cent in Navarre. The rights are the standing — the EITB–Bainet contract extended in October 2017 gave ETB at least 150 matches a year and every final of the three championships — and the caveat: a Diario Vasco report republished by the company Aspe in October 2025 noted that the contract “ends during 2026”, with Movistar’s Vamos and Atresmedia’s Mega airing delayed matches. No renewal had been published when this page was written.[3] [4] [5]

Since when?

EITB since 1982; the sports portal’s launch date is not stated. The pelota rights contract with Bainet was extended in October 2017 to 2022 and has run on since; its renewal beyond 2026 had not been published when this page was written.[2] [3] [5]

Why does it matter in pelota?

Because professional pelota is broadcast almost nowhere else: the public broadcaster’s coverage is the sport’s record of its finals, and its audience figures are the only published measure of the sport’s reach. A pelota result cited to EITB is cited to the outlet that showed it.[3] [4]

References

  1. Kirolak EITB — Pilota section. Accessed September 2026.
  2. Wikipedia — EITB (background: 1982 law, public ownership). Accessed September 2026.
  3. EITB — “EITB y Bainet amplían hasta 2022 el contrato de derechos de pelota”, Oct 2017. Accessed September 2026.
  4. EITB — 2025 Manomanista final audience release. Accessed September 2026.
  5. Aspe — on Mega and the expiring Bainet–ETB contract, Oct 2025. Accessed September 2026.