Speaking at the RBC Conference Tuesday, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav had interesting comments about the media empire’s relationship with the NBA.
The Wall Street Journal media reporter Joe Flint detailed Zaslav’s comments on Twitter, quoting the CEO as saying “We don’t have to have the NBA,” adding that the company could “put the NBA on HBO Max” as the league’s direct-to-consumer streaming partner.
Zaslav also said the next deal for the NBA with WBD, if there is one, “has to be a deal for the future. It’ can’t be a deal for the past.”
He continued by saying the company currently has “favorable deals” on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, the NHL, and the MLB Playoffs and that sports “lifted all boats”.
Zaslav concluded his statements by saying he is more bullish on the cable bundle than others, saying “it’s going to be sturdier than people think”.
