Warner Brothers Discovery, the parent company of TNT, matched Amazon Prime Video’s bid for a share of the NBA’s new television package on Monday, according to an industry source. But whether TNT gets to keep the NBA beyond next season — despite matching Amazon’s offer — remains very much in question.
WBD matched Amazon’s $1.8 billion annual deal set to take effect in 2025-26. The Amazon package includes six conference finals over 11 years, the NBA’s In-Season Tournament, the play-in games and Thursday night games after NFL season.
But even though WBD’s contract includes a right-to-match clause, the NBA reportedly is expected to decline WBD’s matching offer (according to The Athletic), based on the contention that TNT — initially founded as a basic cable channel — cannot match what Amazon, a streaming service, can offer the league. That could trigger legal action by WBD, an arbitration process or an out-of-court settlement.
What’s certain, after Monday, is that ABC/ESPN will remain the home of the NBA Finals through 2037, and NBC will return to the NBA business for the first time in 23 years.
Monday was the final day that WBD could attempt to match one of the packages in the league’s new TV deal, which was approved by the Board of Governors last week.
According to Sports Business Journal, WBD secured a letter of credit from multiple banks to match the offer, which included an up-front payment from Amazon covering the first three years of the 11-year contract.
“We’re proud of how we have delivered for basketball fans by providing best-in-class coverage throughout our four-decade partnership with the NBA,” TNT said in a statement Monday afternoon.
“In an effort to continue our long-standing partnership, during both exclusive and non-exclusive negotiation periods, we acted in good faith to present strong bids that were fair to both parties. Regrettably, the league notified us of its intention to accept other offers for the games in our current rights package, leaving us to proceed under the matching rights provision, which is an integral part of our current agreement and the rights we have paid for under it.
“We have reviewed the offers and matched one of them. This will allow fans to keep enjoying our unparalleled coverage, including the best live game productions in the industry and our iconic studio shows and talent, while building on our proven 40-year commitment for many more years. Our matching paperwork was submitted to the league today. We look forward to the NBA executing our new contract.”
Under the new TV deal, which begins in 2025-26, NBC will pay $2.5 billion per year to air games on Tuesday nights, and also on Sunday nights after NFL season.
Peacock, NBC’s streaming service, gets a Monday night regular-season NBA package as part of the deal.
NBC — which last aired the NBA in 2002 — also will get some playoff games, including six conference finals during the 11 years of the contract, as well as the All-Star Game every year.
ESPN’s volume of games will decrease a bit, with games on Wednesdays and some Sundays, plus some Fridays.
ABC will continue to air a Saturday night package after college football season and the NFL playoffs end. And ABC/ESPN will have every NBA Finals and 10 conference finals over the 11-year deal. The ABC/ESPN package is worth $2.6 billion per year.
Beginning in 2025-26, the NBA will make $6.9 billion annually from national television, compared with the $2.6 billion it currently receives from ESPN and TNT Sports, which both have one year left on nine-year contracts.
With TNT’s future as an NBA carrier in doubt beyond this upcoming season, Charles Barkley recently announced that next season on Turner will be his final season in broadcasting.
“Well, I really feel bad for everybody at TNT, all the people I’ve been working with for the last 24 years, they’re like family to me,’’ Barkley told CNBC earlier this month. “I really hope we match. Honestly in my heart, I think we have lost the package. That’s my honest opinion. But I really hope we get a last-minute reprieve for the people at Turner.’’
Barkley told Sports Business Journal: “[The NBA] don’t really care about anything but how to make the most money possible. We should never put money above the regular fan. Everybody can’t afford streaming. There’s nothing wrong with streaming, but when you start just going to the highest bidder and you’re not on regular television, I think you do a disservice to the fan.”
According to Nielsen, streaming account for 39 percent of all U.S. viewing in May, but Amazon Prime accounted for only three percent of that and Peacock for one percent.
This and that
— NFL media notes: After failing to find another coaching job, Bill Belichick signed on to join the cast of “Inside the NFL,” which now airs Friday nights on CW Network. He’ll be paired with Ryan Clark, Chad Johnson and Chris Long. Belichick also will be a regular presence on the Mannings’ alternate telecast of 10 or so Monday Night Football games on ESPN2 …
With Tom Brady replacing Greg Olsen on Fox’s lead NFL team alongside Kevin Burkhardt, Olsen will work with Joe Davis on the No. 2 team. And longtime Fox analyst Daryl Johnston will slide all the way down to the fifth team with Kevin Kugler, as The Athletic reported.
— The CW Network hired Thom Brennaman as its lead college football announcer, marking his first national job since Fox and the Cincinnati Reds dismissed him after he used a homophobic slur on the air while calling a Reds game in 2020. The CW will carry Atlantic Coast Conference games that aren’t picked up by ESPN’s family of networks, and games involving the two remains teams in the Pac-12 (Oregon State and Washington State).
— Why is ESPN giving two of its 11 College Football Playoff games to TNT?
ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro told Sports Business Journal that the network “did not have any intention” to sublicense CFP games, but the “very attractive” offer by WBD was too enticing to pass up.
WBD will pay ESPN “an average of ‘hundreds of millions’ per year,” according to a CNBC report. The two TNT games will oppose NFL games on Saturday, Dec. 21, in the first year of a multiyear contract.
— This is encouraging: Though China is 12 hours ahead of Eastern Time in the United States, NBC will air many of the most popular events live during the morning or afternoon, which is a change in approach from past Olympics with significant time differences.
Team USA’s men’s basketball opener against Serbia will be carried on July 28th on NBC, while the women’s team will begin play live on USA Network on July 29 (a Monday) against Japan.
With track, the men’s final will live on Aug. 4, while the women’s final will air live on Aug. 3.
The 1500 freestyle in swimming, one of the marquee events, will air live on Wednesday, July 31.
— Skip Bayless, who has made a profitable career out of trolling and spewing outrageous statements, reportedly will leave his FS-1 show at the end of the year.
____
