Nick Nurse admits he did not quite realise the power of terrestrial television until Bears had their 90 minutes in the limelight.

The rising force of the BBL were centre stage on Meridian last Sunday as their win over Milton Keynes was beamed into homes across the south.

Matches have regularly been screened on Sky and ITV Sport in recent years. Indeed, Bears' nailbiter was given live treatment by the latter on Saturday evening.

But the Bears coach admitted: "I had never appreciated the power of terrestrial television. I was in town on Sunday night and I must have had 12 or 15 people come and say something about the game.

"Stuff like that has never happened to me in my years over here."

Last week's 75-73 victory, sealed late on by a moment of magic from Albert White, was just a taste of what is come.

A crowd in excess of last weekend's 2,800 is expected when Thames Valley visit on Sunday, December 16, for a game which is being broadcast live on Meridian.

Viewing figures last Sunday peaked at 78,000, which was enough to encourage TV bosses that basketball was worth sticking with.

Bears director Romek Kriwald was in Southampton this week, discussing the weekend's events and using footage to put together a marketing film.

Kriwald said: "We have had lots of feedback from sponsors who were bowled over by the atmosphere. The whole evening was a first class showcase for the Brighton Bears.

"Other clubs have been really complimentary about the presentation and Meridian were very encouraged by it.

"They thought the viewing figures were good considering they hardly trailed it. They will do that for the 16th and it will make a big difference.

"Football would get 150,000-200,000 viewers so anything approaching six figures for us would be a huge success."

One misgiving from some people who saw the game was that the razzamatazz almost over-shadowed the basketball.

There was a range of competitions and giveaways, including a free pizza brought to his courtside seat for one lucky fan.

Bears got 12 new season ticket holders out of Saturday's events. And don't be surprised if a tape of the occasion finds its way to NEBL offices as the club continue to aim for Europe.

As feedback from supporters and viewers poured in via the BBL website, one Newcastle fan warned Bears of trying to sell "entertainment rather than sport".

Another spectator, who watched Bears regularly at Worthing, felt there was too much going on, detracting from the action on court.

The sport has come a long way. I remember going to my first game at Havant Leisure Centre in 1985, where the "matchnight experience" meant watching the bottom two teams in the league and hearing a quick blast of Level 42 from PJ-the-DJ at timeouts.

Out on court, Terry Crosby, who still tops the all-time rankings for points per game, was doing his stuff for Bolton but was outgunned by Dale Shackleford's Portsmouth side.

It is all very different now but Kriwald insists Bears have got the balance right. He said: "We had a complete running order so there was always something going on.

"It was great basketball and that is what made the occasion.

"The rest of what you saw was the icing on the cake, something for first timers, but it could not take away from the basketball.

"You can expect more of the same on the 16th. It would be nice to think the majority of the people who saw the Milton Keynes game will be back this weekend."

In all likelihood, that will not happen and Kriwald probably knows it, but Bears are slowly turning round their reputation as being perennial losers.

Advertising on television is not cheap but they had a 90-minute plug, free of charge.

That might just prove to be the biggest result of the season.