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In just 48 hours, the answer to TNT Sports and parent company Warner Bros. Discovery has arrived from the NBA: thanks, but no thanks.
The league has rejected Monday’s attempt from TNT Sports to exercise its matching rights and supplant a rival bid from Amazon for a piece of the league’s national media rights. In conveying its decision, the NBA said TNT Sports and WBD failed to meet the terms of the rival bid from the online streaming and retail giant.
“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.
“All three partners have also committed substantial resources to promote the league and enhance the fan experience,” the NBA said.
The league’s statement was part of an official, and expected, announcement of the 11-year, $76 billion set of rights deals with Disney, NBC Sports, and Amazon. The NBA had intended to make that statement before Friday’s start of the Paris Olympics, and NBC Sports parent Comcast essentially jumped the gun Tuesday with its quarterly earnings. NBC Sports on Wednesday confirmed that is bringing back the celebrated “Roundball Rock” theme song that was part of its NBA coverage in the 1990s.
TNT Sports Showdown
The league’s moves now set up a high-stakes battle between the NBA and TNT Sports that could ultimately reach a courtroom, and the saga is still far from over. Industry sources said it’s expected that the parties will now move to mediation in an attempt to resolve the issue.
But as has been the case since the NBA completed its agreements with Disney, NBC Sports, and Amazon, the TNT Sports situation is premised on WBD pushing to stay in business with a league partner clearly looking to take its games elsewhere.
TNT Sports has been targeting Amazon’s “C” package with the NBA, a set of rights estimated at $1.8 billion per year and including a conference final every other season, early-round playoffs in line with what is currently on NBA TV, weekly regular-season broadcasts, the Emirates NBA Cup, and WNBA rights, among other assets.
“We have matched the Amazon offer, as we have a contractual right to do, and do not believe the NBA can reject it,” TNT Sports said. “In doing so, they are rejecting the many fans who continue to show their unwavering support for our best-in-class coverage. … We think they have grossly misinterpreted our contractual rights with respect to the 2025-26 season and beyond, and we will take appropriate action.”
Over at the WNBA
The announcements, meanwhile, present further confirmation of the NBA reaching a transformative set of WNBA agreements expected to be worth $200 million per year, or $2.2 billion over the term. Notably, the pacts end an exclusive Disney hold on the WNBA Finals. The event will now be shared between Disney (five times during the term), and Amazon and NBC Sports (three each), and notably gives Amazon a major league championship in its fast-growing sports portfolio.
“Partnering with Disney, Amazon and NBCU marks a monumental chapter in WNBA history and clearly demonstrates the significant rise in value and the historic level of interest in women’s basketball,” said WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
Despite the big financial boost, representing a landmark event for the development of women’s pro sports, it remains a fraction of the overall NBA pacts, and given the soaring popularity of the WNBA, is seen in some corners as improperly small.
