The NBA’s television rights situation has become a hot topic due in part to the popularity of “Inside the NBA,” a long-running studio show featuring Ernie Johnson and former NBA great Charles Barkley. Shaquille O’Neal And Kenny Smith.
Despite being one of the league’s media partners for the past few decades, TNT’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) lost its broadcasting rights contract to a competitor.
The NBA on Wednesday rejected WBD’s bid to exercise its right to match Amazon’s offer for its share of the league’s 11-year, $76 billion media rights deal.
The NBA issued a statement saying WBD’s proposal fell short of the terms of Amazon’s counterbid.
“Warner Bros. Discovery’s most recent proposal did not match the terms of our proposed offer with Amazon Prime Video, so we entered into a long-term agreement with Amazon,” the league said in a statement. “Throughout these negotiations, our primary objective has been to make our games more accessible and accessible to our fans. Our new agreement with Amazon supports this goal by complementing the broadcast, cable and streaming packages that are already part of our new Disney and NBCUniversal agreements.”
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TNT’s Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley speak as part of State Farm All-Star Saturday Night at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, February 17, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Brandon Todd/NBAE via Getty Images)
The league also said its media partners are committed to promoting the NBA, noting that “all three companies are dedicating significant resources to promoting the league and enhancing the fan experience.”
Late May, Sports Business Journal The NBA is reportedly set to formalize deals with Disney, Amazon and NBC, but WBD executives will reportedly be given the opportunity to match the “aggregate value” of other offers before the deals are finalized.
NBA signs record new media deal
But the announcement of the deal doesn’t mean the dust is over. A high-stakes battle between the NBA, WBD and, effectively, TNT Sports is about to begin. Mediation could be the next step, but if the parties can’t reach a settlement, it could end up in court.
“If TNT files a lawsuit, further discussions may take place and a compromise may be reached with the NBA’s other rights and financial possibilities.” Athletic report.
A basketball sits on the court next to the NBA logo during a break in the first half of a game in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
TNT Sports released a statement denying the allegations that it had rejected Amazon’s offer.
“While we matched Amazon’s offer pursuant to our contractual rights, we do not believe the NBA can reject it. By doing so, the NBA would be denying the many fans who continue to demonstrate unwavering support for the best-in-class coverage provided through the full integration of WBD’s video-first distribution platforms, including TNT, which has a 40-year partnership with the league, and leading streaming service Max.”
“We believe they have seriously misconstrued our contractual rights for the 2025-26 season and beyond, and we intend to take appropriate action. However, we look forward to enjoying another great NBA season on TNT and Max, including our iconic ‘Inside the NBA.'”
The NBA on TNT logo is seen on broadcast cameras prior to the start of the third quarter of Game 4 of the Western Conference second round playoff series between the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center on May 12, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (David Berding/Getty Images)
In May, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver expressed confidence that at least two of the stars of “Inside the NBA” would continue covering the NBA for years to come, regardless of which network holds the rights to broadcast it.
“We’re not going to lose Charles and Kenny,” Silver said. “They’re going to always be covering the NBA. … They’re going to be the ones that are going to be there.” [on ‘Inside the NBA’] Although they will no longer be performing or announcing together, we all love them.”
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Berkeley is The terms of his contract This allows him to move to another network once his NBA contract with TNT expires, but earlier this month Barkley made the shocking announcement that he would retire from broadcast television next year.
“I’ve been thinking about you guys. You guys are my family so I just wanted to say this. I love TNT, all the people that work here, NBA Television. You guys have been great to me these last 24 years. I want to thank the whole NBA family. I love you all,” Barkley said.
“There’s been a lot of turmoil at our network over the last few months, and I’ve talked to all the other networks and I’m not going anywhere other than TNT. But I’ve made the decision for myself that no matter what happens, next year will be my last year on television.”
The league’s current media rights deal expires at the end of the 2024-25 season.
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