NBA Dallas Mavericks No. 77 Luka Doncic shoots against the Boston Celtics during Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden in Boston on June 17, 2024.
Nathaniel S. Butler | Nathaniel S. Butler National Basketball Association | Getty Images
National Basketball Association turns down long-term media partner Warner Bros. DiscoveryAim to continue broadcasting games after next season.
The NBA told media companies it does not believe it has legal rights to match the league’s new media deal. Instead, it plans to move forward Amazon As its third partner, it joined ESPN and NBCUniversal in signing an 11-year deal worth approximately $77 billion.
“Warner Bros. Discovery Channel’s latest proposal is inconsistent with the terms of Amazon Prime Video’s offer, and as a result, we have entered into a long-term arrangement with Amazon,” the NBA said in a statement Wednesday.
Warner Bros. Discovery Channel acquired the matching rights as part of its current media rights agreement with the league, which expires at the end of next season. The clause allows the company to match payments for any game aired on TNT, which it attempted to do on Monday.
The NBA does not believe Warner Bros. Discovery Channel rights will extend to a full-streaming package exclusively for Amazon. Warner Bros. Discovery also owns the streaming service Max for showing games, but the company has told the NBA it plans to simulcast TNT games on Max instead of just putting them on Max.
The NBA sent a letter to TNT Sports Chairman and CEO Luis Silberwasser on Wednesday to Warner Bros. Discovery Channel explaining why it couldn’t match Amazon’s package, citing wording from the original match terms, according to people familiar with the matter.
The NBA cited a rule stating that existing media partners may exercise matching rights “only through specific forms of combined audio and video distribution” (e.g., if the specific form of combined audio and video distribution is online distribution, qualifying Such rights shall not be exercised).
“Throughout the negotiation process, our primary goal has been to maximize the reach and accessibility of our games to fans,” the NBA said in a statement. “Our new arrangement with Amazon will complement broadcast, cable and streaming Media packages to support this goal.
“All three partners have invested significant resources to promote the league and enhance the fan experience,” the league added. “We thank Turner Sports for their award-winning coverage of the NBA and look forward to another season of TNT’s continued coverage of the NBA.”
Warner Bros. Discovery Channel said on Monday it matched one of three media rights packages from the NBA, which people familiar with the matter said were earmarked for a $1.93 billion-a-year deal for Amazon Prime Video. disney and ComcastNBCUniversal inked deals for two more packages as part of a media-rights renewal worth $77 billion over 11 years for the league.
“We have matched Amazon’s offer because we have the contractual rights and do not believe the NBA can reject it,” Warner Bros. Discovery Channel said in a statement Wednesday. “In doing so, they are rejecting many fans who continue to treat us first-class Demonstrating unwavering support, coverage is delivered through the comprehensive comprehensive coverage of WBD’s video-first distribution platform – including TNT, our home for four decades.
“We believe they have grossly misunderstood our contractual rights regarding the 2025-26 season and beyond, and we will take appropriate action,” the statement continued. “However, we look forward to seeing another great season from the NBA on TNT and Max, Including our signature Inside the NBA.”
Warner Bros. Discovery’s Turner Sports has broadcast live NBA games for nearly 40 years. Cable network TNT is home to the hit studio show “Inside the NBA,” starring Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal. If the NBA doesn’t reach a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery Channel, the show’s future will be in doubt.
The league also wants its streaming partners to have maximum reach. Amazon Prime Video has more than twice as many global customers — more than 200 million, compared to Max’s roughly 100 million customers — which could make the service a more attractive platform for alliances. While Warner Bros. Discovery is only bidding for U.S. rights, the streaming rights are global, according to people familiar with the deal.
Warner Bros. Discovery Channel may need to sue the NBA for matching rights. Lawyers for the company and the NBA have been poring over the contract language over the past few months, according to people familiar with the matter.
Details of NBA’s new rights deal
Disney pays $2.62 billion a year for its game package, and NBCUniversal pays $2.45 billion a year, people familiar with the matter said. The new rights agreement begins with the 2025-26 season and runs through the 2035-36 season.
The NBA app will serve as the central portal to the game, directing consumers to every national game, whether on broadcast, cable or streaming services. Approximately 75 regular-season games will be televised each season, compared with 15 games under the current rights agreement. The alliance will have two broadcasters as partners – Disney-owned ABC and NBCUniversal-owned NBC.
“Our new global media agreements with Disney, NBCUniversal and Amazon will maximize the scope and accessibility of NBA games for fans in the United States and around the world,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. Partners will distribute our content across a broad range of platforms and help transform the fan experience for the next decade. “
Disney will distribute 80 NBA regular season games each season, with ABC broadcasting more than 20 games and ESPN broadcasting up to 60 games. ABC and ESPN will host one of two conference finals series in 10 of the 11 years of the agreement. ABC has exclusively broadcast the NBA Finals since 2003.
NBCUniversal will return as the league’s broadcast partner after losing the NBA broadcast rights in 2002. NBCUniversal CEO Mike Cavanagh said 100 NBA games will be televised each regular season, about 50 of which will be shown exclusively on its streaming platform Peacock.
“We are honored to once again partner with the NBA and WNBA, two iconic brands and the birthplace of the best basketball in the world,” Kavanagh said in a statement. “We look forward to innovative programming and distribution through NBC and Peacock Plan to present first-class coverage of both leagues to entertain fans and help grow the sport.”
WNBA games are also part of all three packages. The partners will distribute more than 125 regular season and playoff games across the country each season. Disney will broadcast at least 25 regular season games and NBCUniversal will broadcast 50 regular season and playoff games Assuming Warner Bros. Discovery Channel can’t match Amazon’s package, Prime Video will get 30 regular-season games.
Revealed: NBCUniversal is the parent company of CNBC.
