It’s incorrect to speculate without the contractual language in front of us. The contract would specify what would constitute an offer that may be matched (if WBD had smart lawyers the language is broad) and the NBA will argue that matching goes beyond mere dollar value and will look for contractual wiggle room - again, I don’t know the exact language. The actual reason you haven’t heard that this is all signed is because the NBA and Amazon are likely looking to sign a deal WBD won’t match in the first place. If you’re using matching rights that typically means a negotiation has gone sour - it’s a a safeguard. Also, the company you’re signing with won’t want to deal with protracted court battles and they want certainty - especially as they project future fiscal quarters. Point being, if this actually ends up in court then the entire process has failed and it’s likely just WBD threatening to save face while the NBA wants nothing to do with them anymore. It’s basically Amazon and the NBA having convos with WBD to make sure they don’t match and not making it worth it for them to do so based on the likelihood of failure based on how they structure the deal. The problem with that is again, how broad is the matching rights clause and (b) is it worth it for WBD to sue the NBA to stay in business with them given what that would mean for their relationship going forward. That all seems unlikely. And the NBA would want to deny WBD a matching rights clause in any future contract they are forced into with them. I don’t see this in court. The most likely scenario is that WBD is out of there and the wait is a strategic move based on favors we are not privy to.
NBA approves new media deals with Disney (ABC/ESPN), Comcast (NBC), and Amazon for 11 years, $77 billion. Update: NBA REJECTS WBD's (TNT Sports) deal
- Thread starter Anerdyblackguy
- Start date
Either way, the NBA won
they cakin up
Sounds like ESPN is likely sharing WNBA Finals rights with NBC
beenz
Rap Guerilla
I honestly think Barkley was drunk on those NBATV postgames
there's no way chuck walks away from the NBA gravy train. even if warner loses the NBA, other networks will be happy to pick up their program.
hell, they will probably get a raise out of the deal.
AStrangeName
Member of Snitch Syndication
That's a good thing as it'll help on the WNBA growth
ESPN’s Burke Magnus
JJ Redikk recently left ESPN to coach the Los Angeles Lakers. This is the second NBA analyst on your top team who’s left for an NBA job this year. Do you have a plan right now heading forward as to who will be the top NBA team next year?
Not specifically, and that’s probably no surprise as it was only a couple of weeks ago where the world thought it was going to be Danny Hurley (coaching the Lakers) and JJ would in fact still be with us.
As difficult as the decision was (to part ways) with Jeff (Van Gundy) and Mark (Jackson), we felt like we were very, very solid going into the season in both the game team and the studio. We had it solved in a really interesting and innovative way that we thought was going to last for several years with Doris Burke making history, stepping up to the “A” team, a proven, high-caliber broadcaster and Doc (Rivers). We even had our succession plan worked out with the “B” team, with Ryan Ruocco, JJ, and Richard Jefferson. … Obviously, we got the curveball of all curveballs with Doc’s departure. But I thought JJ stepped right in and helped us continue to perform at a high level. He had indicated interest in coaching, so that was not a surprise.
We have some work to do in advance of next season. The one thing I will say about Doc, because there was some reporting out there down the angle of, “How could they not see this coming; how could they not be prepared for this kind of thing?” In fact, we were. We took Doc at his word that he was done coaching. He gave us a three-year commitment. It was written into the contract specifically that he was not going to go back to coaching. That’s not what happened. Unfortunately, it left us in the lurch in the middle of the season, which was extremely uncomfortable.
But I thought JJ really stepped up and filled in at a very high level. By the way, if he ever wants to come back and be a broadcaster after coaching, I think the world knows now that he’s a great basketball mind, and he has a bright future in our world if he ever finds himself in it again.
What can you say publicly about where ESPN/Disney is right now regarding a future media rights agreement with the NBA?
Obviously, I can’t confirm anything. … But I can say that our team has been working really diligently over a long period of time. Based on the existing relationship that we have with the NBA over many years and also the current state of it, which is strong, positive, productive, a great two-way street and great collaboration with Adam (Silver) and his team, we feel relatively confident about our future with the league as they work to finalize everything with all of their partners. We feel good about where we stand at the moment.
How aggressive will ESPN be when it comes to the WNBA heading forward?
We’re extremely bullish on it. We’ve been there since Day 1 of the WNBA, and we’re really proud of that. We feel similarly about the women’s NCAA basketball tournament and the hard work that’s been done over decades with that property in order to grow the game. Caitlin Clark is a phenomenon, and of course, it’s brought sort of meteoric levels really quickly, which is a little bit of an issue they’ve been dealing with relative to the coverage and the scrutiny around the game. When that sort of normalizes and finds its level, the audiences and the interest in the WNBA is going to be significantly higher than it has been historically.
Where would you characterize ESPN having the WNBA Finals in any long-term deal?
Really important. The answer I gave you when you asked me this last year for the NBA Finals was “must-have,” and here I think a little bit differently. Maybe somewhat unselfishly, we look at the growth of the WNBA on the number of various entities involved in it. We see an upside in other broadcasters also being involved. Of course we want the WNBA Finals. I’m sure that at some level that’s going to be a component of the deal. But if we don’t have them every single year because it means it is on other networks in a similar fashion, I think that’s actually a good thing for the ultimate continued growth and development and interest in the league.
Saysumthinfunnymike
VOTE!!!
Same shyt for weeks now from these publications.... Everyone knows. When is this going to be handled? Lol"WBD believes it can match certain parts of either the NBC or Amazon bids, but sources said the NBA disputes that."
End of an Era.
fukk Zaslav
edit: forgot about TNT being able to match
fukk Zaslav
edit: forgot about TNT being able to match
Last edited:
The Athletic Article on the breaking news
The NBA and network executives finalized contracts that will make NBC and Amazon Prime Video new partners, while maintaining ESPN as the home of the NBA Finals, under agreements that will extend for 11 seasons and be worth $76 billion, according to executives with direct knowledge of the deals.
While the NBA and its partner agreed to all the language, incumbent TNT Sports continues to threaten to match. The CEO of TNT Sports’ parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav, has publicly stated he may attempt to use language in the current contract to remain involved with the NBA. If Zaslav goes through with that, he is expected to target Amazon’s package.
The next step is for the league’s governors to approve the agreements with ESPN, NBC and Amazon, which is expected to be a formality.
The board of governors has meetings Tuesday in Las Vegas. At some point following the final step by the league’s governors, the NBA will send the finished contracts to TNT Sports.
At that point, the company will have five days to make its move. If it declines, then the NBA is expected to be an official announcement before the Olympics, which open on July 26th.
The NBA and TNT Sports declined to comment.
Under the new NBA television deals with ESPN, NBC and Amazon Prime, the regular season would feature national telecasts nearly seven days a week, according to sources briefed on the agreements.
The NBA will borrow a page from the NFL, as following the end of the football’s regular season, NBC will have the NBA succeed the highest-rated primetime show on television, “Sunday Night Football,” while, on Thursdays, Amazon will do the same after its TNF coverage concludes.
During the entire regular season, Amazon Prime Video is anticipated to have its other games streamed predominantly on Friday nights and Saturdays.
NBC will have games throughout the full NBA season on Tuesdays. Peacock, NBC’s streaming service, is expected to have exclusive telecasts on Mondays. Peacock will also simulcast all the NBC games.
ESPN will slightly cut down on the amount of regular-season games, going from around 100 now to the range of 80. During the NFL season, it will have its games on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, with its Saturday night game being its special ABC window. Later in the year, after the NFL, ESPN will have Friday night action, as well.
All three platforms will have playoff games, while Amazon Prime Video will be the home of the In-Season Tournament. Amazon and NBC will alternate showing conference finals. ESPN will have a conference final and the NBA Finals each season.
While TNT Sports sits on the outside looking in at the moment, ESPN sealing its deal with the NBA wasn’t entirely a slam dunk.
ESPN and the NBA executives did not reach an agreement before their exclusive agreement ran out in April as ESPN declined to budge on relinquishing any portion of the Finals. Shortly after, with ESPN paying $2.6 billion, just slightly less than the $2.7 billion checks it writes for the NFL, the NBA agreed to keep the Finals on ABC/ESPN exclusively. NBC is expected to pay $2.5 billion per season, while Amazon is going to dole out $1.8 billion per year.
In the current agreement, the ESPN and TNT Sports pay a combined total of $2.6 billion on what is a nine-season agreement.
If TNT Sports stands down, this upcoming season will be its final season of games after nearly four decades. While Charles Barkley said he plans on retiring, all three networks are expected to pursue him and could just try to bring the entire “Inside the NBA” crew over to their platform.
For NBC, it has Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle as its potential play-by-players. With Dwyane Wade working the Olympics for NBC, he could be in position as a potential No. 1 game analyst. Amazon Prime Video has put the voice of the Final Four, CBS/TNT/YES’ Ian Eagle at the top of its play-by-play wish list and is expected to hire two or three game callers.
While the NBA and its partner agreed to all the language, incumbent TNT Sports continues to threaten to match. The CEO of TNT Sports’ parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav, has publicly stated he may attempt to use language in the current contract to remain involved with the NBA. If Zaslav goes through with that, he is expected to target Amazon’s package.
The next step is for the league’s governors to approve the agreements with ESPN, NBC and Amazon, which is expected to be a formality.
The board of governors has meetings Tuesday in Las Vegas. At some point following the final step by the league’s governors, the NBA will send the finished contracts to TNT Sports.
At that point, the company will have five days to make its move. If it declines, then the NBA is expected to be an official announcement before the Olympics, which open on July 26th.
The NBA and TNT Sports declined to comment.
Under the new NBA television deals with ESPN, NBC and Amazon Prime, the regular season would feature national telecasts nearly seven days a week, according to sources briefed on the agreements.
The NBA will borrow a page from the NFL, as following the end of the football’s regular season, NBC will have the NBA succeed the highest-rated primetime show on television, “Sunday Night Football,” while, on Thursdays, Amazon will do the same after its TNF coverage concludes.
During the entire regular season, Amazon Prime Video is anticipated to have its other games streamed predominantly on Friday nights and Saturdays.
NBC will have games throughout the full NBA season on Tuesdays. Peacock, NBC’s streaming service, is expected to have exclusive telecasts on Mondays. Peacock will also simulcast all the NBC games.
ESPN will slightly cut down on the amount of regular-season games, going from around 100 now to the range of 80. During the NFL season, it will have its games on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, with its Saturday night game being its special ABC window. Later in the year, after the NFL, ESPN will have Friday night action, as well.
All three platforms will have playoff games, while Amazon Prime Video will be the home of the In-Season Tournament. Amazon and NBC will alternate showing conference finals. ESPN will have a conference final and the NBA Finals each season.
While TNT Sports sits on the outside looking in at the moment, ESPN sealing its deal with the NBA wasn’t entirely a slam dunk.
ESPN and the NBA executives did not reach an agreement before their exclusive agreement ran out in April as ESPN declined to budge on relinquishing any portion of the Finals. Shortly after, with ESPN paying $2.6 billion, just slightly less than the $2.7 billion checks it writes for the NFL, the NBA agreed to keep the Finals on ABC/ESPN exclusively. NBC is expected to pay $2.5 billion per season, while Amazon is going to dole out $1.8 billion per year.
In the current agreement, the ESPN and TNT Sports pay a combined total of $2.6 billion on what is a nine-season agreement.
If TNT Sports stands down, this upcoming season will be its final season of games after nearly four decades. While Charles Barkley said he plans on retiring, all three networks are expected to pursue him and could just try to bring the entire “Inside the NBA” crew over to their platform.
For NBC, it has Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle as its potential play-by-players. With Dwyane Wade working the Olympics for NBC, he could be in position as a potential No. 1 game analyst. Amazon Prime Video has put the voice of the Final Four, CBS/TNT/YES’ Ian Eagle at the top of its play-by-play wish list and is expected to hire two or three game callers.
But how can this be? I thought the “super expert media guru” reporters Alex Sherman and Austin Karp And Patrick Crakes said this wasn’t true and that people were just “rushing to be first” What happened ….
What happened ….
So first, zazlov has five days to match any of the offers. Secondly kudos to Adam Silver for getting national games seven days of the week and finally the NBA hit a home run having its games be telecast after Sunday night football
