The state of the NBA’s television rights has been a hot topic partly due to the popularity of the longtime running studio show “Inside the NBA,” which features Ernie Johnson and former NBA greats 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) has lost its broadcasting rights deal to competitors.
On Wednesday, the NBA rejected a bid for WBD to exercise its right to match an offer from Amazon for a part of the league’s 11-year, $76 billion media rights deal.
The NBA released a statement saying WBD’s proposal fell short of the terms of the rival bid from Amazon.
“Warner Bros. Discovery’s most recent proposal did not match the terms of Amazon Prime Video’s offer and, therefore, we have entered into a long-term arrangement with Amazon,” the league said. “Throughout these negotiations, our primary objective has been to maximize the reach and accessibility of our games for our fans. Our new arrangements with Amazon supports this goal by complementing the broadcast, cable and streaming package that are already part of our new Disney and NBCUniversal arrangements.”
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Shaquille ONeal, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley from TNT talk as a part of State Farm All-Star Saturday Night on Saturday, February 17, 2024 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Brandon Todd/NBAE via Getty Images)
The league also stated that each of the media partners it decided to move forward with are dedicated to promoting the NBA. “All three partners have also committed substantial resources to promote the league and enhance the fan experience,” the statement noted.
In late May, the Sports Business Journal reported that the NBA was expected to begin formalizing deals with Disney, Amazon and NBC. However, before the contracts receive final approval, WBD leadership would be afforded the opportunity to match the “total value” of other offers, according to the report.
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But, the announcement of the deal does not mean that the saga has reached a conclusion. It sets up a high-stakes battle between the NBA, WBD and, effectively, TNT Sports. Mediation could be the next step, but if the parties are unable to reach a resolution, things could end up playing out inside a courtroom.
“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,” The Athletic reported.
A basketball is placed on the court next to an 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 pushing back against the claim that it failed to meet Amazon’s offer.
“We have matched the Amazon offer, as we have a contractual right to do, and do not believe the NBA can reject it. In doing so, they are rejecting the many fans who continue to show their unwavering support for our best-in-class coverage, delivered through the full combined reach of WBD’s video-first distribution platforms — including TNT, home to our four-decade partnership with the league, and Max, our leading streaming service.
“We think they have grossly misinterpreted our contractual rights with respect to the 2025-26 season and beyond, and we will take appropriate action. We look forward, however, to another great season of the NBA on TNT and Max including our iconic ‘Inside the NBA.’”
A view of the NBA on TNT logo on a broadcast camera prior to the start of the third quarter of Game Four of the Western Conference Second Round Playoffs between the Denver Nuggets and 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 “Inside the NBA” stars will continue to cover the NBA for years to come, regardless of which network holds the broadcasting rights.
“We’re never gonna lose Charles and Kenny,” Silver said. “They’re always going to be covering the NBA. … I can’t imagine those guys [on ‘Inside the NBA’] won’t be performing and announcing together in the future, and we all love them.”
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Barkley reportedly has a clause in his contract that allows him to go elsewhere once TNT’s NBA deal runs out. But, earlier this month, Barkley made the shocking announcement that he would retire from broadcast television next year.
“I’ve been thinking, guys. I want to say this because you guys are my family. I really love TNT, all the people who work here, NBA Television — you guys have been great to me for 24 years. I just want to say thank you to my entire NBA family. I love you guys,” Barkley said.
“There’s been a lot of noise around our network the last few months. And I just want to say, I’ve talked to all the other networks, but I ain’t going nowhere other than TNT. But I have made the decision myself, no matter what happens, next year is going to be my last year on television.”
The league’s current media rights deal will expire at the end of the 2024-25 season.
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