NBA rejects long-term media partner Warner Bros. DiscoveryThe aim is to proceed broadcasting games after the following season.
The league told the media company that it doesn’t consider it has the legal rights to the brand new media contract. Instead, it plans to work with Amazon because the third partner alongside ESPN and NBCUniversal in its 11-year contract value around $77 billion.
“Warner Bros. Discovery's recent offer did not meet the terms of Amazon Prime Video's offer and as a result, we have entered into a long-term agreement with Amazon,” the NBA said in an announcement on Wednesday.
Warner Bros. Discovery acquired related rights under its current media rights cope with the league, which expires at the tip of next season. That provision allows the corporate to double payments for any games broadcast on TNT, which it attempted to do on Monday.
The NBA doesn’t consider Warner Bros. Discovery's rights extend to a streaming-only package spun off for Amazon. Warner Bros. Discovery also owns a streaming service called Max that it could use to broadcast games, but the corporate has told the NBA it plans to simulcast TNT games on Max moderately than simply showing them on Max.
The NBA sent a letter to Warner Bros. Discovery on Wednesday, addressed to Luis Silberwasser, chairman and CEO of TNT Sports, explaining why the corporate cannot match Amazon's package, citing language in the unique match clause, in line with people conversant in the matter.
The NBA relied on a provision that states that the present media partner can only exercise matching rights through the precise type of combined audio and video distribution (for instance, if the precise type of combined audio and video distribution is web distribution, an identical partner may not exercise such game rights through television distribution).”
In its statement, the NBA said: “Throughout these negotiations, our primary goal has been to maximise the reach and accessibility of our games to our fans. Our recent agreement with Amazon supports that goal by complementing the published, cable and streaming packages which can be already a part of our recent agreements with Disney and NBCUniversal.”
“All three partners have also committed significant resources to advertise the league and enhance the fan experience,” the league added. “We are grateful to Turner Sports for its award-winning coverage of the NBA and stay up for one other NBA season on TNT.”
Warner Bros. Discovery said Monday that it was one of three NBA media rights packages. People familiar with the matter identified the deal as the $1.8 billion-a-year deal slated for Amazon Prime Video. Disney And ComcastNBCUniversal signed deals for the other two packages, which are part of the league's $77 billion, 11-year media rights renewal.
“We have accepted Amazon's offer because we’re contractually entitled to achieve this and don’t consider the NBA can refuse it,” Warner Bros. Discovery said in a statement Wednesday. “In doing so, they’re rejecting the numerous fans who proceed to point out their unwavering support for our world-class coverage delivered across the combined reach of WBD's video-first distribution platforms – including TNT, home of our four-decade partnership with the league, and Max, our leading streaming service.”
“We consider they grossly misunderstood our contractual rights with respect to the 2025-26 season and beyond, and we’ll take appropriate motion,” the statement continued. “However, we stay up for one other great NBA season on TNT and Max, including our legendary Inside the NBA.”
Warner Bros. Discovery's Turner Sports has broadcast live NBA games for nearly 40 years. Cable channel TNT is home to “Inside the NBA,” the popular studio show featuring Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal. The show's future is uncertain unless the NBA signs a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery.
The league also wants its streaming partner to have maximum reach. Amazon Prime Video has more than twice as many customers worldwide — more than 200 million compared to Max's roughly 100 million — which could make the service a more attractive platform for the league. The streaming rights are global, though Warner Bros. Discovery is only bidding on the U.S. rights, people familiar with the language in the contract say.
Warner Bros. Discovery may have to sue the NBA to assert its matching rights. Lawyers for the company and the NBA have been studying the contract language in recent months, people familiar with the matter say.
Details on the new NBA rights contract
Disney will pay $2.62 billion a year for its gaming package and NBCUniversal will pay $2.45 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. The new rights deal begins with the 2025-26 season and runs through the 2035-36 season.
The NBA app will be a centralized portal for games, directing consumers to every national game whether it is broadcast on television, cable or via a streaming service. Approximately 75 regular-season games will be televised each season, up from just 15 games in the current rights deal. The league will have two broadcast affiliates – Disney's ABC and NBCUniversal's NBC.
“Our recent global media agreements with Disney, NBCUniversal and Amazon will maximize the reach and accessibility of NBA games to fans within the United States and all over the world,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “These partners will distribute our content across a wide selection of platforms and help transform the fan experience for the following decade.”
Disney will broadcast 80 regular-season NBA games each season, including more than 20 games on ABC and up to 60 games on ESPN. ABC and ESPN will broadcast one of the two conference finals series in 10 of the 11 years of the agreement. ABC will remain the exclusive host of the NBA Finals, which it has broadcast since 2003.
NBCUniversal will return as the league's broadcast partner after losing the NBA rights in 2002. According to CEO Mike Cavanagh, NBCUniversal will broadcast 100 NBA games each regular season, including about 50 that will be exclusive to the Peacock streaming platform.
“We are proud to once more partner with the NBA and WNBA, two iconic brands and the house of the very best basketball on the planet,” Cavanagh said in a statement. “We stay up for showcasing our world-class coverage of each leagues with our modern programming and distribution plan on NBC and Peacock to entertain fans and evolve the sport.”
WNBA games are also part of all three packages. The partners will broadcast more than 125 regular season and playoff games nationally each season. Disney will broadcast at least 25 regular season games, NBCUniversal will broadcast 50 regular season and playoff games. games on its platforms, and Prime Video will receive 30 regular-season games, assuming Warner Bros. Discovery can't match Amazon's package.
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