The NBA's next media rights deal is a pressing issue as the league's contracts with ESPN and TNT expire after the 2024-25 season. We now know that one new partner will be included in the package.
Amazon Prime Video and the NBA have agreed to the terms of a deal that will make the streaming and retail giant the leading platform for game television broadcasts, the NBA reported. The Athletic”Andrew Marchand.
The contract with Amazon begins in the 2025-26 season and is expected to last at least 10 years. Regular season and postseason games will be part of the Prime Video package, with the possibility of including the conference finals in the future. Worldwide rights to NBA broadcasts could also be part of the package.
Financial terms of the deal were not reported. ESPN reportedly paid $1.6 billion annually in the deal, while TNT paid $1.2 billion annually.
ESPN/ABC is also preparing for a new contract, Pac's John Uhland reported. The network will maintain its “A package” of games in a deal that gives ABC exclusive rights to the NBA Finals and is expected to continue for at least 10 years.
However, ESPN is expected to air fewer games as part of the new package, and those games will also be available on different TV partners. The question becomes whether that package will remain with TNT or go to NBC, which lost NBA rights in 2002. NBC likely wants the NBA to provide inventory on its streaming platform, Peacock. But now that the Amazon deal is in place, that may no longer be a priority for the NBA.
Warner Bros. Discovery (TNT's corporate owner) is reportedly entitled to any deal. wall street journal. The loss of NBA telecasts would leave a big hole in the network's prime-time schedule. TNT (and TBS) have been televising NBA games since 1984.
Amazon's NBA broadcasts could be streamed on Thursday nights. NFL Thursday Night Football streaming telecasts are currently running from September through January. However, Amazon is expected to increase its playoff coverage even more to make up for the lack of regular season games.
Pack said Google is interested in working with NBA League Pass, the league's out-of-market broadcast package.
