TNT Expected To Match New Media Rights Deal, But NBA Seems Ready To Move On

July 17, 2024

Warner Bros. Discovery intends to exercise its right to match part of the new NBA media rights deal, which could create a little chaos in how things play out, as relayed by Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal.

Warner Bros. Discovery owns TNT, the longtime home of the NBA, along with Disney-owned ESPN and ABC.

Recently, the league reportedly agreed to an 11-year media rights deal worth a reported $76 billion. Under the new agreement, NBA games will continue to be broadcast and streamed by ESPN/ABC, while also adding NBC and Amazon. Meanwhile, TNT has been left in the dust — but again, does have the right to match.

If that’s the path Warner Bros. Discovery (or WBD for short) takes, it could muck up the waters.

“First, as soon as today, the league will turn over three written contracts to WBD — ESPN’s reported $2.6B annual bid, NBCUniversal’s $2.5B bid and Amazon’s $1.8B bid — at which point WBD CEO David Zaslav will have five days to match NBC or Amazon,” Friend wrote. “Because Zaslav and Co. believe Amazon’s streaming deal (alternating conference finals, a Thursday package, Friday or Saturday games, NBA Cup, early round playoffs and international rights) is the most fiscally responsible, sources indicated yesterday they will match Amazon with their own streaming service, Max, while simulcasting games on TNT.”

But from the sounds of things, the NBA is ready to move on from TNT.

“The NBA is expected to argue Max is not equal to Amazon (which has a 200 million worldwide ad-supported reach compared to Max’s approximate 100 million), likely leading to either an argument, a lawsuit, a cash settlement or, if WBD has its way, a fourth smaller package,” Friend wrote. “Asked if he anticipates a treacherous ending to negotiations, Silver said, ‘I don’t have a sense of that. Much of it is outside my control. We’ll see.'”

In other words, even if TNT remains, it would likely do so as just part of the package — as opposed to the NBA broadcasting monster it is today.

The new deal, which Silver hopes will generate eyeballs beyond just fans in the United States, will go into effect for the 2025-26 season.

“That’s something that we’ve been very focused on in these deals, not just reach in the United States but reach globally as well,” commissioner Adam Silver told reporters.