Warner Bros. Discovery and Amazon in major broadcast fight over NBA live TV rights in Shaq and Co hopes

ALL may not be lost yet for TNT’s much-loved Inside The NBA.

The writing has been on the wall for the popular TNT show for some time as negotiations have increased between the NBA and ESPN, NBC and Amazon Prime over new TV deals.

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These proposed 11-year deals appeared to take a big step toward fruition on June 10, when it was reported that terms between the networks and the NBA had been agreed upon, according to the Associated Press via ESPN.

The deals are said to be worth a staggering $76 billion in total.

With the terms supposedly agreed, it is now up to the NBA board of governors to give the green light to the agreements.

As such, should WBD lose its broadcast package after next season, it would mark the end of Inside The NBA and its beloved cast of Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson.

However, TNT’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, may be looking to play its final trump card in an attempt to beat Amazon Prime to the third and final rights package.

TNT has broadcast the NBA since 1989 and has the right to match any new deals that might supplant it.

Unfortunately for the network, WBD appears unable to match NBC’s “B” deal, which is reportedly worth up to $2.5 billion annually, according to Disco.

This is said to be due to NBC’s greater presence on network TV.

That leaves the shortest of the three 11-year deals, potentially worth $1.8 billion, with the Amazon Prime streaming service.

One advantage WBD theoretically has over Amazon Prime is the ability to stream on network TV as well as through its streaming service, Max.

This has been described as “the crux of the WBD proposal”, but it is apparently unlikely to be sufficient.

“Max has about 100 million subscribers worldwide,” Puck explained.

“Prime Video, of course, has twice that amount, and the NBA is unlikely to make it easier for WBD to use its corresponding rights.”

Regardless of whether or not WBD can fight its way back into the “C” deal, Inside The NBA will be forced to change regardless.

What does the new TV deal mean for the NBA?

By US Sun Assistant Sports Editor Damian Burchardt.

The new television rights deal promises to be a big win for NBA players.

The league is expected to more than double revenue from its media partners, pocketing around $6.9 billion per year, which will inevitably lead to a huge salary cap increase in 2025-26.

This will cause the value of players’ contracts to skyrocket.

Projected numbers suggest we could see the first $100 million per year deal being signed soon.

Boston Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum is currently set to earn the highest single-season salary in NBA history, bringing in $71.5 million in 2029-30.

It seems like basketball fans would be on the losing side of the fight if the NBA and TNT actually split.

Inside the NBA is a unique sports entertainment program, as evidenced by ESPN’s continued failure to create its own version of the show in recent years.

The NBA won’t be the same without Kenny and Ernie trying to make sense of Shaq and Chuck’s endless fights every Tuesday night.

Barkley had long said that if WBD lost, he had no intention of moving to another network, regardless of what his colleagues decided to do.

Later, during the NBA Finals, Barkley took the opportunity to announce that he had decided the 2024 season would be his last on TV.

“You know there’s been a lot of noise on our network over the last few months, and I just want to say I’ve talked to every other network, but I’m not going anywhere other than TNT,” he explained.

“But I made the decision myself, no matter what happens, next year will be my last year on television.

“I just want to thank my NBA family, you guys have been great to me. My heart is full of joy and gratitude, but I will pass the baton at the end of next year.

“I hope the NBA stays with TNT, but personally, I wanted you to hear it from me because I’m not doing any more interviews.”

As for his colleagues, Johnson intends to remain with TNT no matter what.

It’s unclear what O’Neal and Smith plan to do beyond next season.

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