Turner Sports intends to continue its long-standing relationship with the NBA.
Warner Bros. Discovery informed the league Monday that it would match Amazon Prime Video’s $1.8 billion-a-year offer. Turner has had an NBA subscription since 1984, and games have aired on TNT since the network launched in 1988.
“We reviewed the offers and selected one that will allow fans to continue to enjoy our unmatched coverage, including the industry’s best live game productions and our iconic studio shows and talent, while building on our proven 40-year commitment for many more years,” WBD said in a statement. “Our correspondence documents were submitted to the league today. We look forward to the NBA executing our new contract.”
The NBA Board of Governors approved the league’s 11-year media rights deals with Disney, NBC and Amazon Prime Video at its meeting Tuesday in Las Vegas. WBD received the three contracts Wednesday, kicking off a five-day deadline to see if it would like to match them.
The new deals, collectively worth $76 billion, will begin with the 2025-26 season and will include one nationally broadcast or streamed game each night during the second half of the season.
The Prime Video plan should have offered games on Thursday nights after it finished airing NFL games. The other nights were Friday and Saturday.
TNT would likely broadcast the games on Thursdays, with the other nights being shown on Max.
An NBA spokesperson said the league is reviewing the match offer. Amazon Prime Video has not commented on WBD’s intent to match.
The NBA is expected to announce the finalization of media agreements later this week.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav struck an ominous note when he said at an RBC investor conference in November 2022 that Turner and WBD “don’t need to have the NBA.”
Warner Bros. Discovery and the league failed to reach an agreement during the exclusive negotiation period that expired in April. Zaslav and TNT Sports Chairman and CEO Luis Silberwasser, however, have said in recent months that the company intends to match one of the deals.
“We are proud of how we have met the expectations of basketball fans by providing the best possible coverage throughout our four-decade partnership with the NBA. In an effort to continue our longstanding partnership, during both the exclusive and non-exclusive negotiation periods, we have acted in good faith to present strong and fair offers to both parties,” WBD said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the league has informed us of its intention to accept other offers for games in our current rights agreement, leaving us to proceed under the matching rights clause, which is an integral part of our current agreement and the rights we have paid thereunder.”
NBC and WBD will share responsibility for broadcasting the conference finals. ESPN and ABC, which will retain the league’s top schedule, will carry a conference finals each year in addition to the NBA Finals.
People familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press that Amazon’s offer included a clause requiring it to pay several years in advance into an escrow account, which many feared would make it difficult to match. However, WBD told the league it has the financial resources to do so as well.
Amazon’s move was first mentioned by The Ringer’s Bill Simmons on “The Town” podcast.
The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not at liberty to discuss such imminent issues.
WBD is paying $1.4 billion per season under the current nine-year deal, which expires after next season.
Even if WBD makes a financial commitment, it is a necessary commitment. Without the NBA, it would have had difficulty charging its current subscription fees to cable and satellite companies.
Keeping the NBA would also mean the popular show “Inside the NBA” would continue. Charles Barkley had been critical of WBD’s negotiating stance and was not optimistic that a deal could be reached. Barkley announced at the end of this season that he intended to retire after next season.
