TNT Sports activities issued a statement Monday confirming that it’s making an effort to retain its NBA rights past the 2024-25 season by exercising its matching rights. A previous report indicated that Warner Bros. Discovery (TNT’s mum or dad firm) supposed to match the media rights package deal that Amazon had negotiated with the league.
“We’re pleased with how we’ve delivered for basketball followers by offering best-in-class protection all through our four-decade partnership with the NBA,” TNT’s assertion reads. “In an effort to proceed our long-standing partnership, throughout each unique and non-exclusive negotiation durations, we acted in good religion to current sturdy bids that have been truthful to each events.
“Regrettably, the league notified us of its intention to just accept different affords for the video games in our present rights package deal, leaving us to proceed below the matching rights provision, which is an integral a part of our present settlement and the rights we’ve paid for below it.
“We’ve reviewed the affords and matched considered one of them. It will enable followers to maintain having fun with our unparalleled protection, together with one of the best stay recreation productions within the business and our iconic studio exhibits and expertise, whereas constructing on our confirmed 40-year dedication for a lot of extra years.
“Our matching paperwork was submitted to the league at this time. We sit up for the NBA executing our new contract.”
Regardless of the assured tone of TNT’s assertion, this course of gained’t be so simple as an NBA staff matching a proposal sheet on a restricted free agent in an effort to retain the participant.
The league is predicted to argue that Warner Bros. Discovery can’t merely match Amazon’s supply as a result of variations within the two firms’ distribution strategies. Amazon is a streaming large, whereas TNT is a cable community. Whereas WBD does have a streaming service of its personal, that service (Max) reportedly has about half of the subscribers that Amazon Prime Video does.
Amazon’s package deal of video games additionally isn’t the identical because the one TNT is dropping. It reportedly includes playoff contests, together with one convention ultimate each different 12 months. It additionally options the in-season event (NBA Cup), in addition to common season video games on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. It’s reportedly value $1.8B yearly.
There was hypothesis that TNT’s choice to match might result in a lawsuit, a monetary settlement for WBD or probably a newly negotiated fourth broadcast package deal.
Amazon is likely one of the three broadcast companions with whom the NBA negotiated a brand new media rights deal. The opposite two are Disney (ESPN/ABC) and NBC. The brand new offers will start firstly of the 2025-26 season.