Chris Pizzello/AP
The NBA has reportedly finalized a media rights deal with NBC, essentially pushing TNT out of NBA coverage for the first time in nearly 40 years.
Sources informed the Sports Business Journal the league has formalized written contracts with Disney (ESPN/ABC), NBC and Amazon. Both Disney and Amazon were long considered done deals, meaning the third and final package would go to either Warner Bros. Discovery (TNT) or NBC.
In anticipation of the NBA’s return to the network, NBC even reached out to composer John Tesh to re-record NBA on NBC’s iconic theme “Roundball Rock.”
According to industry sources, Disney will pay $2.8 billion annual for the NBA’s “A” package, which gives them exclusive rights to the NBA Finals, a conference final, weekly primetime games, and WNBA games. The “B” package — which includes two weekly primetime windows, the conference semifinals and a conference final — will go to NBC for a reported $2.6 billion.
Warner Bros. Discovery has paid $1.2 billion per year for the current media deal. Because of this, sources said, CEO David Zaslav anticipated having to pay between $1.8 billion and $2.1 billion. That expectation was completely upended when Disney, eager to retain the “A” package, doubled its bid from $1.4 billion under the current contract to $2.8 billion in the next. Zaslav reportedly refused to double TNT’s bid to $2.4 billion, forcing the NBA to look elsewhere and land on NBC.
The CEO previously stated his company has the right to match any offer to retain the “B” package. Sources said the NBA will take the contract to Warner Bros. Discovery to give them the chance to do so.
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