TNT has reached new rights deal negotiations that could save Inside the NBA as league considers ‘fourth package’

TNT Sports is hoping for a buzzer-beater to save the future of Inside the NBA.

The beloved studio show appears set to end after the 2024-25 season, with TNT set to lose its long-term NBA rights.

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But parent company Warner Bros. Discovery is working to secure a potential fourth NBA media rights package, per Reception Sports.

According to recent reports, the NBA is finalizing media rights deals with The Walt Disney Co., NBC and Amazon Prime Video.

ESPN is expected to pay about $2.8 billion for its share of NBA coverage.

NBC’s package is coming in at about $2.6 billion, up from the initial $2.5 billion.

Amazon’s deal ranges from $1.8 to $2 billion and would have a collection of Tournament of the Season, Play-In Tournament, first-round playoff games, WNBA and international rights.

Once details of the deals are finalized, sources say the NBA will take NBC’s final offer to Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. is expected to and TNT Sports are unable to match the deal, as they currently only pay $1.2 billion for the current deal.

But in a dramatic turn of events, TNT could land a small fourth rights package, which could include the regular season and some playoff games.

The deal would keep Inside the NBA running for years to come.

Notably, TNT also operates NBA TV and NBA.com on behalf of the league.

And it would be complicated for the league to find a new rights partner that operates these verticals from scratch.

It’s unclear what the future holds for the Inside the NBA cast, which includes Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal.

But Barkley made it clear he has an opt-out in his contract for this exact scenario.

“I covered my ass to be honest with you,” Barkley said.

“I just signed a 10-year contract two years ago, but one of the things I did was opt out in a couple of years because I wanted to protect myself when it came to this situation.”

Inside the NBA has been running since 1989, with Johnson taking the reins as host in 1990.

Barkley has been appearing since 2000 and has spoken out against the show’s potential end in recent weeks.

“I’ll be on LinkedIn tomorrow afternoon,” he lamented during a recent broadcast.

If TNT is unable to secure the NBA rights, Bill Simmons has suggested that Inside the NBA could move to Amazon.

Speaking on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Ringer editor-at-large Bryan Curtis pointed out that a key element of the show was how late it aired.

This will clearly be a big factor in whichever network, if any, decides to air the show.

On ESPN, game coverage ends and SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt takes over.

And Simmons pointed out that if NBC wanted the show, it would have to air it on the Peacock streaming service.

“They’d have to do it on Peacock, right?” Simmons said.

“It would be like, ‘Next step on Peacock.’ It’s different when you make viewers work for any part of what they’re watching.”

It’s because of these difficulties that Simmons believes Amazon Prime could very well be the new home for Inside The NBA when the new rights deal goes into effect for the 2025-26 season.

“That’s why Amazon probably makes the most sense,” Simmons said.