Amazon and NBA reach agreement on broadcast deal
The deal is expected to include regular season and playoff games
The NBA’s next media rights deal has been a looming question as the league’s contracts with ESPN and TNT expire after the 2024-25 season. Now we know that one new partner will be part of the package.
Amazon Prime Video and the NBA have agreed to the parameters of a deal that would make the streaming and retail giant a major platform for game telecasts, according to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand.
Amazon’s deal would begin with the 2025-26 season and terms are expected to last for at least 10 years. Regular season and postseason games would be part of Prime Video’s package, with the possibility of including some conference finals down the line. Global rights to NBA broadcasts could also be part of the package.
Financial terms of the deal have not been reported. ESPN reportedly paid $1.6 billion per year in its agreement, while TNT paid $1.2 billion per year.
The NBA’s broadcast deals with ESPN and TNT expire after the 2024-25 season
ESPN/ABC also has the workings of a new deal in place, reports Puck’s John Ourand. The network would maintain its “A package” of games, with ABC getting exclusive rights to the NBA Finals in an agreement that will also last for at least 10 years.
However, ESPN is expected to televise fewer games as part of its new package, with those broadcasts now available for another TV partner. The question now becomes whether that package stays with TNT or goes to NBC, which lost NBA broadcast rights in 2002. NBC presumably wants the NBA to provide inventory for its streaming platform Peacock. But that might now be less of a priority for the NBA with the Amazon deal in place.
Warner Bros. Discovery (corporate owner of TNT) has the right to match any deal, reports The Wall Street Journal. Losing NBA telecasts would create a major hole in the network’s prime-time schedule. TNT (and TBS) have televised NBA games since 1984.
Amazon’s NBA broadcasts could stream on Thursday nights. The NFL’s Thursday Night Football streaming telecast currently runs from September to January. But to make up for not having those regular-season games, Amazon is expected to gain more playoff broadcasts.
Google is interested in carrying NBA League Pass, the league’s out-of-market broadcast package, according to Puck.
News
The 76ers aim to transform their roster this offseason and dominate the Eastern Conference | HO
The 76ers aim to transform their roster this offseason and dominate the Eastern Conference The Philadelphia 76ers’ Superplan To Become A Beast In The East Entering the…
he Los Angeles Lakers are out of the NBA playoffs at the hands of the Denver Nuggets: 3 Best Destinations For LeBron James To Become An NBA Champion Again | HO
The Los Angeles Lakers are out of the NBA playoffs at the hands of the Denver Nuggets: 3 Best Destinations For LeBron James To Become An NBA…
Shaquille O’Neal And JJ Redick Name Their NBA’s Mount Rushmore Of Assholes | HO
Shaquille O’Neal And JJ Redick Name Their NBA’s Mount Rushmore Of Assholes Shaq and JJ Redick reveal their picks, from Garnett’s intensity to Turkoglu’s unexpected inclusion. Shaq…
ESPN Insider Bizzarely Claims Tyrese Maxey Is The Face Of Philadelphia 76ers Over Joel Embiid | HO
ESPN Insider Bizzarely Claims Tyrese Maxey Is The Face Of Philadelphia 76ers Over Joel Embiid An ESPN insider has thrown his support behind Tyrese Maxey supplanting Joel…
END OF THE STORY: Following another disappointing season for the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Lakers Expected To Terminate Darvin Ham “By The End Of The Week” | HO
END OF THE STORY: Following another disappointing season for the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Lakers Expected To Terminate Darvin Ham “By The End Of The Week”…
PRIVATE CORNER: Katherine Taylor Reveals Her Major Crush Is Kings’ Player Kevin Huerter | HO
PRIVATE CORNER: Katherine Taylor Reveals Her Major Crush Is Kings’ Player Kevin Huerter Katherine Taylor’s admiration for NBA’s Kevin Huerter sparks intrigue, promising more game appearances and…
End of content
No more pages to load