NBA Reportedly In Process Of ‘Formalizing Deals’ To Leave TNT
The NBA reportedly will have a new home after the 2025-26 season.
Sports Business Journal reported Wednesday the league is formalizing written contracts with Disney, NBC and Amazon. Sports Business Journal reported the final stage of negotiations might lead Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), which owns the incumbent TNT, to take legal action.
ESPN reportedly will pay $2.8 billion annually for the league’s “A” package. It will include the NBA Finals, a conference final, weekly primetime games, the WNBA and likely shared international rights.
NBC’s reported “B” package is thought to be worth $2.6 billion, and will likely include a “Basketball Night in America” on Sunday nights after the NFL season. It also will include a total of two primetime windows per week, conference semifinals and a conference final.
Amazon’s reported deal is thought to be worth $1.8 billion-$2 billion and would likely include the Emirates In-Season Tournament, the SoFi Play-In Tournament, first-round playoff games, the WNBA and international rights.
When proposals are finalized, all three networks will go to their respective boards. And at that point the league will take NBC’s contract to WBD and see it it can match total value. Sports Business Journal highlighted reasons why it will be “virtually impossible” for WBD to match.
If Disney, NBC and Amazon ultimately agree to those terms, it would mean the well-known TNT program “Inside the NBA,” which features Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith would conclude after the 2024-25 campaign.
Barkley, though, recently shared he included a clause in his contract so he could become a free agent should WBD lose the league’s rights.