NBC lining up $2.5B bid for NBA rights in major broadcast move to pull live games from Warner Bros. Discovery

The NBA is closing in on a deal to transfer its broadcast rights to a new network.

Comcast’s NBCUniversal is reportedly going all out to influence the NBA for its media rights.

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NBC is reportedly set to sign a $2.5 billion-a-year deal to broadcast a series of NBA games, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The network last held media rights to the NBA between 1990 and 2002 and also aired games from 1954 to 1962.

Warner Bros. Discovery is fighting hard to keep its broadcast rights, but the deal they currently hold is half of the $2.5 billion offered by NBC.

The NBA and Warner Bros. they have been partners for years, but were unable to reach an agreement before the exclusive negotiation window closed.

With a window of opportunity open, NBC made an offer that included regular season and playoff games.

These games would be broadcast on NBC and its streaming platform Peacock.

NBC also has the advantage of planning to air two primetime games per week. Warner Bros. is unable to broadcast two per week because it does not have a broadcast network.

Warner Bros. has the right to match any offer presented by NBC or other companies, so it is making final efforts to maintain its NBA rights.

TNT, the channel that broadcasts the NBA for Warner Bros, has a strong sports lineup with March Madness, Nascar and the NHL, but missing the NBA could be deadly.

The NBA is one of the main attractions for distributors carrying Warner Bros. channels. and they could see a big drop in revenue without it.

Losing basketball would also be a huge blow to the upcoming joint streaming service from Warner Bros, Disney and Fox.

As the battle rages between NBC and Warner Bros. For the last piece of the pie, the rest of the NBA’s media rights have been taking shape.

Disney, which broadcasts the NBA on ESPN and ABC, has already renewed its agreement to retain the rights.

The company is expected to pay an average fee of $2.6 billion per year in the new deal, up from the previous $1.5 billion per year in its last deal.

Despite having to pay a higher price for their deals, the NBA’s broadcast partners are receiving a smaller package of games during the next cycle starting in 2025.

The league planned to add a streaming partner for a set package of games, and Amazon jumped at the opportunity.

Prime Video has already finalized the structure of a deal, but the financial numbers are not yet finalized.

Negotiations will not be finalized until each of the NBA’s partners decides who gets the rights to the biggest games of the year.

Amazon will likely get some of the conference finals, while ABC will likely keep the NBA Finals.

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