Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks shoots against the Boston Celtics during Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals on June 17, 2024 at TD Garden in Boston.
Nathaniel S. Butler | National Basketball Association | Getty Images
The National Basketball Association said Warner Bros. Discovery It has no intention of respecting its due rights and instead plans to move forward. Amazon as a media partner.
“Warner Bros. Discovery’s most recent proposal did not match the terms of Amazon Prime Video’s offer, and as a result, we have entered into a long-term agreement with Amazon,” the NBA said in a statement Wednesday.
“Throughout these negotiations, our primary goal was to maximize the reach and accessibility of our games for fans. Our new agreement with Amazon supports this goal by complementing the broadcast, cable and streaming packages that are already part of our new Disney and NBCUniversal agreements,” the league added. “All three partners have also committed significant resources to promoting the league and enhancing the fan experience. We are grateful to Turner Sports for their coverage of the NBA and look forward to another NBA season on TNT.”
Warner Bros. Discovery said Monday it has reached a deal with one of the NBA’s three media rights packages, which people familiar with the matter identified as a $1.93 billion-per-year deal for Amazon Prime Video. Disney And ComcastNBCUniversal has signed deals for the remaining two packages, part of the league’s $77 billion media rights renewal deal over 11 years.
“In an effort to continue our longstanding partnership, during both the exclusive and non-exclusive negotiation periods, we acted in good faith to make strong offers that were fair to both parties. Regrettably, the league has notified us of its intention to accept other offers for the games in our current rights package, forcing us to proceed under the respective rights clause that is an integral part of our current agreement and the rights we have paid for under that agreement,” Warner Bros. Discovery said in a statement on Monday. “This will allow fans to continue to enjoy our unparalleled coverage, including the industry’s best live game productions and iconic studio programming and talent, while building on our proven 40-year commitment for many more years to come.”
Warner Bros. Discovery’s Turner Sports has been broadcasting NBA games live for nearly 40 years. The TNT cable channel is home to “Inside the NBA,” the popular show featuring Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal. The future of that show is in doubt if the NBA doesn’t reach a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery.
Warner Bros. Discovery acquired the rights as part of its current media rights deal with the league, which expires at the end of next season. That clause allows the company to match payments for any games aired on TNT.
The NBA doesn’t believe Warner Bros. Discovery’s rights extend to a full streaming package, as they have been split with Amazon. Warner Bros. Discovery also owns a streaming service, Max, that it could use to broadcast games.
Amazon Prime Video has more than twice as many global customers — more than 200 million compared to Max’s roughly 100 million — which could make it a more attractive platform for the league. The streaming rights are global, although Warner Bros. Discovery only bid for rights in the United States, according to people familiar with the language in the contract.
