With the deadline approaching, TNT announced Monday that it has submitted a matching offer to retain its NBA broadcast rights and its intention to continue producing the beloved studio show “Inside the NBA.”
The NBA did not respond. The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reports that TNT is matching the new 11-year, $1.8 billion annual contract the NBA has with Amazon, a deal the NBA would prefer to honor, according to the report. The league is expected to decline TNT’s offer to claim the rights to the Amazon package, setting up a potential showdown between the three entities, according to the report.
TNT announced its offer in a statement that promised to continue producing “our iconic studio programs.” It did not mention Amazon in the statement.
“We reviewed the offers and combined one of them,” says the statement. “This will allow fans to continue enjoying our unparalleled coverage, including the industry’s best live game productions and our iconic studio shows and talent, while building on our proven 40-year commitment for many more years to come.
“Our corresponding documentation was submitted to the league today. We look forward to the NBA executing our new contract.”
TNT has owned the broadcast rights to the NBA for 35 years. ESPN, NBC and Amazon have reached deals with the NBA for the next round of broadcast rights starting with the 2025-26 season. Under the leadership of parent company Warner Bros. Discovery and CEO David Zaslav, TNT did not reach a new agreement during an exclusive negotiation window, but retained the right to match offers from competing entities, which it enacted on Monday.
According to Marchand, Monday’s match on TNT could lead to several outcomes. The NBA and TNT could potentially reach a deal to keep the league on the network, or they could reach a deal that could see the network disappear, according to the report. Failure to reach an agreement in any way could lead to a legal battle.
With TNT reportedly targeting the Amazon deal, the path is clear for NBC’s return to NBA coverage. NBC previously broadcast NBA games from 1990-2002. ESPN and ABC will maintain the league’s main package that includes coverage of the NBA Finals.
The package agreed between Amazon and the NBA does not directly reflect TNT’s existing package. TNT currently offers games on Tuesday and Thursday nights during the regular season, All-Star Weekend and playoff games through the Western Conference Finals.
Amazon’s deal includes the rights to six conference finals over the 11-year term of the deal, the NBA Cup (formerly the season’s tournament), play-in games and Thursday games during the regular season at its conclusion. of the streamer’s Thursday night broadcast. NFL coverage.
The NBA’s current broadcast deals run through next season, meaning TNT will continue to air the league’s games through the 2025 Western Conference Finals. After that, the fate of the network’s NBA coverage and “Inside the NBA” remains unclear.
Hosted by Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal, “Inside the NBA” is synonymous with the league and enjoyed by players and fans alike. Johnson reportedly said he will not leave TNT if the network loses the NBA rights. Barkley’s stance has been a moving target. He suggested that his own production company could take over the show and promised to retire from broadcasting at the end of the next season.
