The NBA will have new 11-year TV deals with incumbent ESPN and newcomers NBC and Amazon Prime Video, rejecting TNT Sports’ right to match, which could lead to a legal battle between the network and the league, according to sources briefed on the deal.
The forthcoming agreements with ESPN, NBC and Amazon are not set to begin until the 2025-26 season, meaning TNT could go into this season, its final under its current contract, with the specter of suing the league it is covering.
The soon-to-be-signed agreements also include the WNBA, which is expected to receive a total of $2.2 billion over 11 years.
TNT Sports, according to sources briefed on the matter, has honed its sights on Amazon’s streaming-only agreement, which includes the playoffs, six conference finals, the In-Season Tournament and regular season action. Amazon’s deal is for around $1.93 billion per year.
TNT’s current nine-year contract includes backend rights, that from TNT’s point of view, allows it to simply say it wants to keep the NBA and will assume Amazon’s deal.
When the current agreements were signed a decade ago, streaming was on the horizon, but not part of the deals. This is why the two sides could end up in court.
Neither side would likely want to enter a legal case, where private conversations could become public during discovery. If TNT does file a suit, it could lead to more talks and a possible compromise with other NBA rights or financial possibilities being the outcome.
Both sides have been preparing for this scenario for a while. TNT Sports’ parent company’s CEO, Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav, has publicly stated that his network has the right to match. The Athletic first reported that Amazon had a framework agreement with the NBA in April. It has been a collision course ever since.
On its earnings call this week, NBC’s parent company, Comcast, said that its deal for NBA and WNBA games is, for the most part, completed. NBC will have six conference finals over the 11 years, a heavy amount of playoff games and the All-Star game. On Mondays during the regular season, Peacock will have exclusive games, while on Tuesdays and Sundays, NBC will have showcases. The Sunday Night package will dovetail after the NFL season ends. NBC is paying around $2.5 billion per year.
ABC/ESPN will continue as the home of the NBA Finals. It will have conference finals in 10 of the 11 seasons, plus playoff and regular season games. It will pay $2.6 billion per year, a shade less than the $2.7 billion it doles out to the NFL.
The new deals will not go into effect until the 2025-2026 season. For the upcoming year, ABC/ESPN and TNT Sports remain the NBA’s partners.
It is more possible than ever that TNT Sports could enter the year suing the NBA to remain together for another 11 years, while the league wants a divorce.
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