Will ESPN Be Able to Retain Its NBA Rights?
With the National Basketball Association (NBA) experiencing higher attendance and surging TV ratings, negotiations for a new TV deal could not come at a better time for the league.
The NBA’s current TV rights deal with Warner Bros Discovery (which owns TNT) and The Walt Disney Company (which owns ESPN) is set to expire at the end of the 2024-2025 season.
Based on the current market, NBA executives are hoping to get a new package in the range of $60 to $72 billion, or about 2.5 times the value of their current deal.
Disney’s Exclusive Window Ends- Without a Deal
According to a new CNCBC report, the exclusive window that Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery had with the NBA to negotiate a new deal will lapse with an agreement being reached.
In order to get the kind of money that they want, it is possible that the NBA will bring a third partner into negotiations.
During an appearance on ESPN’s The Domonique Foxworth Show, NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum confirmed the league’s interest in finding another network.
“Given the evolving media landscape, we’re likely to emerge from this window with at least one additional partner. As we think about our approach to this, it really is about accessibility,” Tatum said.
According to Awful Announcing, Amazon, Apple, NBCUniversal, Netflix, and YouTube TV have expressed interest in partnering with the NBA. Still, if the league has its way, it will continue to work with Disney and Warner Bros.
“Our incumbents are Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery. They’ve been fantastic partners of ours,” Tatum said on the Foxworth show.
The Future is Streaming
The sticking point for those two entities could be streaming. After seeing the success that the NFL had with its Amazon, Peacock, and YouTube products, the NBA has eyed making a move into the market.
“I know Turner is nervous, I know ESPN is nervous that Apple and Amazon are gonna come in and take some or all of the NBA packages. … the whole sports landscape in the NBA is gonna change in the next two years when Apple and Amazon start bidding on the NBA properties,” Charles Barkley told Sports Illustrated last year.
It remains likely that ESPN and TNT continue to partner with the NBA. Still, fans should also be ready to explore other avenues.
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