The Wall Street Journal reports that the NBA is “closing in” on television deals with NBC, ESPN, and Amazon valued at $76 billion in media revenue over 11 years, starting after the 2024–25 season. These agreements may result in TNT’s cherished Inside the NBA program, which stars Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson, ending after the 2024–25 season. According to the source, NBC, which would reclaim the rights to broadcast NBA games for the first time since 2002, is anticipated to pay an average of $2.5 billion a year, with roughly 100 games each season.
The Peacock streaming service would host around half of those games. The games would take place on Tuesdays and Sundays when there are no “Sunday Night Football” obligations. The Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon will pay $1.8 billion for their package. It includes regular-season and postseason games as well as the NBA In-Season Tournament and the Play-In Tournament. A “share” of the conference finals, which are scheduled to be split in rotation, would also be aired by the worldwide giant.
REPORT: The NBA is finalizing media rights deals with ESPN, Amazon, and NBC that will bring in $76 BILLION (!!!) over the next 11 years.
No TNT… (via @WSJ) pic.twitter.com/WzLF80qK4c
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 5, 2024
According to the source, Disney, which currently telecasts NBA games, will keep the rights for $2.6 billion annually, an increase from the previous agreement of $1.5 billion annually. The NBA Finals will air on its network of channels, but the current package will include fewer games. The deal would enable games to be aired on its soon-to-be-launched “direct-to-consumer streaming service,” which is scheduled for 2025. According to the article, these agreements will raise the NBA’s annual fees by more than 2.5 times their previous level, approximately $7 billion a season. The agreements include rights to WNBA games.
Although “options are limited,” the article states that Warner Bros. Discover, the company that owns TNT and “Inside the NBA,” can match NBC or Amazon’s packages. The NBA may even develop a new package. The organization, which reportedly owes $40 billion, missed the opportunity to extend the agreement before it expired on April 22. Since 1988, TNT has carried NBA games. Overall, it seems likely that the next NBA season will be the last for Inside the NBA.
