TNT has reportedly made a major decision regarding the future of its NBA broadcast rights after the league concluded a new rights contract.
Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns TNT, intends to exercise its right to match the agreement the NBA made with Amazon, according to Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal. The move is WBD’s final play to try and keep some share of the rights to broadcast NBA games.
Amazon’s package is a streaming one, which could certainly complicate WBD’s case. The company would likely put forward Max, which it owns, as a comparable streaming platform to show live games on, with those games simulcast on TNT.
The next steps are unclear. Friend notes that the situation is likely to end with either an argument, a lawsuit, some sort of cash settlement, or a smaller fourth package carved out for TNT, which is believed to be WBD’s preferred outcome.
Language in the previous rights deal allowed TNT to match any new deal that it was not a part of. That does not necessarily mean they will retain the rights to NBA games, but it does leave the door slightly open for that possibility.
ESPN and NBC will receive the bulk of the rights in the new deal, but Amazon’s streaming package will also be a significant factor. Many NBA fans will be hoping some sort of agreement can be found with TNT, if only to ensure the possible survival of “Inside the NBA” beyond next season.
