NBA Media Rights To ESPN, NBC, Amazon, But Not TNT

The National Basketball Association said it has signed landmark media-rights deals worth $77 billion with Disney’s ESPN, Amazon.com and Comcast’s NBCUniversal, turning away a last-minute bid from current rights holder Warner Bros. Discovery's TNT.

The new 11-year deals, which go into effect following the 2024-2025 season, will more than double the fees the NBA receives each season, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

Disney has agreed to pay an average fee of $2.6 billion a year to keep NBA games on ESPN and ABC, up from $1.5 billion a year under the current deal. NBCUniversal agreed to pay $2.5 billion a year to air games on NBC and its Peacock streaming service, while Amazon Prime Video has offered $1.9 billion a year for a streaming package. 

The league said it rejected a proposal from Warner to keep basketball games on its TNT network, setting the stage for a potential legal showdown. TNT had exercised a clause in its contract that gave it the right to match a rival bid. The Journal reported that TNT is seeking to match Amazon’s offer. 

The deals—each of which has a substantial streaming component—embody a seismic shift in the way consumers are watching sports. Amazon’s entry points to the growing power of technology companies in sports.

The media-rights deals “will maximize the reach and accessibility of NBA games for fans in the United States and around the world,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in a statement.

In calls detailing the news, executives for the media companies said the NBA would help them boost and retain subscribers for their platforms, and reach younger and more diverse audiences.

NBCUniversal’s package will include 100 games per regular season across NBC and Peacock as well as first and second-round playoff games and six conference finals series. 

Disney is taking on a smaller package of games than under its current deal. Its package will include 80 regular-season games per season, the NBA Finals, plus early-round playoff contests and Conference Finals series in 10 seasons, the league said. All games will be available on ESPN’s upcoming direct-to-consumer streaming service. 

Amazon will offer 66 regular-season games, including Thursday double-headers starting in January, plus Friday evening double-headers and select Saturday afternoon games. Prime Video also will air “play-in” tournament games and will have early playoff coverage, plus six Conference Finals series.

As part of the agreement media rights deals were also secured for the WNBA. That will include 25 regular-season games on Disney’s platforms, 50 regular-season games on NBCUniversal’s platforms and 30 regular-season games on Prime Video.