Despite the NBA officially agreeing to a raft of new media deals with ESPN, NBC and Amazon last week, Warner Bros. Discovery isn’t going to go quietly into that good night. No, the home of Inside The NBA announced on Monday it would exercise its contractual matching rights on one of the packages.
Note that WBD never specifies which of the packages it will be attempting to match, but The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reports that WBD is targeting Amazon’s “C” package, worth a reported $1.8 billion. In total, the NBA’s new media deals are reportedly worth $76 billion over 11 years.
The issues could arise in whether or not WBD is even able to match what the NBA considers the value of Amazon’s offer, which is the “streaming” package in this round of media deals. While WBD does have its Max streaming platform, the NBA might be disinclined to view it as equivalent to Amazon’s Prime Video platform. Marchand notes that such a disagreement and the NBA attempting to not accept WBD’s matching offer could lead to court or even some compromise that will either see WBD net a smaller fourth package or a financial settlement to go away entirely. The NBA is reviewing WBD’s matching offer.
NBA spokesperson: “We've received WBD’s proposal and are in the process of reviewing it.”
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) July 22, 2024
Bill Simmons had recently suggested that the NBA and Amazon had included a “poison pill” in their contract which would have significantly front-loaded the deal in a bid to dissuade the heavily indebted WBD not to attempt to match, but reports suggest WBD was able to get a line of credit to cover the cost.
Last week on Pablo Torre Finds Out, Pablo, former ESPN president John Skipper and former Marlins president David Samson discussed the potential of exactly this scenario, noting that WBD matching Amazon’s offer was not as simple as checking a box.
TNT has announced that they will match Amazon’s $1.8 billion NBA media package bid.
The NBA will now decide which network to move forward with, but @DavidPSamson and former ESPN president John Skipper explain why 'matching' is a far more complicated process than you might think.… pic.twitter.com/clB9Iia6jz
“It’s not a simple, ‘We’re matching.’ They have to match some set of terms and conditions,” Skipper said. “I think it’s pretty clear now that the NBA would prefer to have the partners they have agreed with.”
Samson notes that it’s not as simple as writing a memo saying, “Dear Adam, we match,” handing over $1.8 billion and saying they’re back. Samson says they have to go provision by provision and show how their offer is equal to what Amazon is offering.
“You don’t just erase the word Amazon and write the word Warner Bros. Discovery,” Samson said. “It doesn’t technically work that way.”
For more on what’s next in the saga of the NBA’s media rights, check out the below episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out. Stay tuned, everybody, stay tuned!
SHOW BREAKDOWN
The Sporting Class: What the NBA and WNBA’s Record-Setting TV Deals Mean
- Welcome to The Sporting Class! Meadowlark Media CEO John Skipper and Nothing Personal’s David Samson are back with another episode with host of Pablo Torre Finds Out ... Pablo Torre! It’s time for more NBA TV rights talk! It looks like NBC, ESPN, and Amazon have won the battle, even though Warner Bros. Discovery is trying to fight. What does the big money mean? Let’s take a look at the valuations of media rights deals and what comes next for sports leagues. Why is Knicks owner James Dolan so mad about it? He sent a letter to the league and is furious with the new NBA media rights deal. Why was he the only owner to vote against this new deal? We finally have seen some numbers on what’s happening with the WNBA. It’s a major increase. Welcome to the billion club! How will this new money impact the league?
VIDEO:
Check out the Pablo Torre Finds Out YouTube page for more and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow the show on X at @pablofindsout and Pablo at @pablotorre.
The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!
FAQs
The NBA on Wednesday rejected Warner Bros. Discovery's offer to match a $1.8 billion per year bid from Amazon Prime Video to broadcast the league's games, setting up a potential legal showdown between the media company and its longtime sports partner.
What is the new rights deal for the NBA? ›
The Summary. The NBA's new media rights deal means a big shift in where people will be watching games starting in 2025, adding NBC and Amazon and moving away from TNT. ABC and ESPN will still broadcast games, and will also retain exclusive broadcasts of the NBA Finals.
Did TNT match Amazon offer for NBA rights? ›
The NBA says it will end its 34-year partnership with TNT after next season, rejecting the cable network's offer to match a bid from Amazon, a move that could shake up the sports world for the next decade and create serious challenges for TNT parent Warner Bros.
Did the NBA send media terms to Warner Bros. Discovery officially starting the five day match period? ›
NBA sends media terms to Warner Bros. Discovery, officially starting five-day match period. Warner Bros. Discovery received paperwork from the NBA on Wednesday night, starting a five-day window where it can use its matching rights on a package of NBA games.
What is the WBD deal with the NBA? ›
WBD said on Monday that it had matched Amazon's offer of $1.8bn per year, up from the $1.4bn that WBD is paying now on a nine-year deal that expires following the 2024-25 season. With the NBA declining to accept WBD's offer, the league is ending a nearly four-decade partnership that began in the 1984-85 season.
Why did the NBA choose Amazon? ›
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 NBA said Wednesday. "Throughout these negotiations, our primary objective has been to maximize the reach and accessibility of our games for our fans.
What is the NBA media deal for 2024? ›
NEW YORK, July 24, 2024 – The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced the renewal of its partnership with The Walt Disney Company and new agreements with NBCUniversal (NBCU) and Amazon under which ABC/ESPN, NBC/Peaco*ck and Prime Video will telecast NBA games beginning with the 2025-26 season and running ...
How much did TNT pay for the NBA? ›
Turner has paid the NBA an average of $1.2 billion a year during its current TV deal, which consists of at least 65 regular-season games, plus playoff games until the start of the Western Conference Finals.
What is the NBA deal for 2025? ›
That means that Disney (ABC and ESPN), Comcast (NBA and Peaco*ck) and Amazon will be airing all of the NBA's nationally televised games from the 2025-26 season through the 2035-36 season -- an 11-year agreement that will net the NBA roughly $76 billion dollars.
Is the NBA staying on TNT? ›
TNT Sports has informed the NBA it plans to use its matching rights to continue broadcasting the league games. The network is targeting the 11-year package signed by Amazon Prime Video, sources briefed on the move said.
Together, the agreements are expected to generate $76 billion in fees for the league over their 11-year life — a near tripling of the income from previous contract. Amazon will pay about $1.8 billion annually and make streaming an integral part of the league's media strategy.
How much is Amazon Prime NBA? ›
The NBA TV annual subscription will automatically bill after a 7-day trial for $6.99 monthly or $59.99 annually; annual subscriptions will renew on October 1, 2021. To turn off automatic renewal, visit Manage Your Prime Video Channels and cancel your subscription.
When did ESPN get NBA rights? ›
ABC began televising NBA games under full ESPN production in 2006 (ABC Sports aired NBA games under the title of the NBA on ABC from 2002 to 2006). On October 6, 2014, ESPN and the NBA renewed their agreement through 2025, and on July 24, 2024 it's agreement was renewed through 2036.
Who owned Warner Bros before discovery? ›
WarnerMedia owns Warner Bros and Turner (which Time Warner acquired in 1995). WarnerMedia was officially spun off from AT&T in 2022 and combined with Discovery Inc to become Warner Bros Discovery in the spring of 2022.
When did the NBA become nationally televised? ›
The league signed a contract with DuMont in its 8th season (1953–54), marking the first year the NBA had a national television broadcaster. Similar to NFL, the lack of television stations led to NBC taking over the rights beginning the very next season until April 7, 1962—NBC's first tenure with the NBA.
How much did the Amazon NBA deal cost? ›
The financial terms were not disclosed, but reports indicate that the combined deals will cost the companies about $77 billion over 11 years, with Amazon reportedly forking over about $1.8 billion annually. The NBA announced the new agreements after rejecting a last-minute bid by incumbent Warner Bros.
Does Amazon sponsor the NBA? ›
Prime Video and the NBA announce landmark 11-year global media rights agreement beginning in 2025. Amazon Prime Video and the NBA have announced an 11-year media rights agreement, beginning with the 2025-26 NBA season.
Who has NBA streaming rights? ›
That means that Disney (ABC and ESPN), Comcast (NBA and Peaco*ck) and Amazon will be airing all of the NBA's nationally televised games from the 2025-26 season through the 2035-36 season -- an 11-year agreement that will net the NBA roughly $76 billion dollars.
Is NBA TV part of Amazon Prime? ›
Yes. An active Prime membership is required to sign up for either the annual or monthly NBA TV plans.
