The NBA has finalized its next media rights deal, with the league set to return to NBC for the first time since 2002, as detailed by Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.
Videos by FanBuzz
ESPN/ABC, a current broadcast partner, will remain as part of the new deal, and streaming giant Amazon, which recently added NFL and MLB games, will also be included.
The new deal is said to be for 11 seasons and worth $76 billion. It would kick in at the end of the 2024-25 season.
TNT, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, has been left off the list, as expected. It will likely stay out of the running, bringing an end to the popular Inside the NBA studio show featuring Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O'Neal and Ernie Johnson.
But as Marchand reported, TNT could still match the deal and keep some games.
"While the NBA and its partner agreed to all the language, incumbent TNT Sports continues to threaten to match," Marchand wrote. "The CEO of TNT Sports' parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery's David Zaslav, has publicly stated he may attempt to use language in the current contract to remain involved with the NBA. If Zaslav goes through with that, he is expected to target Amazon's package."
For the record, sources have told Hoops Wire that the league is excited about returning to NBC.
Once the NBA Board of Governors approves the new deal — a "formality," per Marchand — TNT will have five days to match. Either way, an announcement on the media rights deal is expected at the end of the month, likely during the Olympics, being carried by no less than NBC.
"Under the new NBA television deals with ESPN, NBC and Amazon Prime, the regular season would feature national telecasts nearly seven days a week, according to sources briefed on the agreements," Marchand wrote.
The NBA? On NBC? Yes, it's back. And games seven nights a week is something that all fans can stand behind.
(This article was originally published on Hoops Wire and reprinted with permission.)
