NBA Announces New TV Rights Deal, Exiting Warner Bros. Discovery

The NBA has announced a new TV rights deal that will see them move away from Warner Bros. Discovery for Amazon. The league made the announcement on Wednesday that they are renewing their deal with ABC and ESPN, while also signing new agreements with NBCUniversal and Amazon. The deal will see ABC/ESPN, NBC/Peacock and Prime Video telecast NBA games beginning with the 2025/2026 season.

The announcement notes that “The NBA App will be a universal access point – seamlessly directing fans to every national game on Disney, NBCU and Amazon platforms.”

Warner Bros. Discovery had announced on Monday that it had submitted a matching offer within its contract rights to Amazon’s in order to retain its NBA broadcast rights, as well as its intent to continue producing Inside the NBA. The NBA issued a statement on Wednesday saying that the deal did not match the terms, noting:

“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.

“Throughout these negotiations, our primary objective has been to maximize the reach and accessibility of our games for our fans. Our new arrangement with Amazon supports this goal by complementing the broadcast, cable and streaming packages that are already part of our new Disney and NBCUniversal arrangements. All three partners have also committed substantial resources to promote the league and enhance the fan experience.

“We are grateful to Turner Sports for its award-winning coverage of the NBA and look forward to another season of the NBA on TNT.”

TNT Sports had issued its own response claiming that they did match the offer and don’t believe the NBA can reject it, as you can see below.

“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.”

TNT Sports' statement on NBA media rights: pic.twitter.com/9L3fiFXoDH

— TNT Sports U.S. PR (@TNTSportsUS) July 24, 2024