The stage is beginning to set for the next round of NBA media rights talks, and two rival CEOs will likely come out of their respective corners looking to get the best of one another according to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports.
Disney CEO Bob Iger and Concast chairman/CEO Brian Roberts both have their sights set on partnering with the NBA. Disney’s ESPN has been a rightsholder since 2002, taking over along with ABC as a league broadcaster from NBC.
But in recent weeks, Roberts has expressed a desire to get the NBA back on NBC. That would mean another potential showdown between the Comcast boss and the Disney boss.
The rivalry between Roberts and Iger spans multiple acquisitions across multiple decades. It was Roberts and Comcast that ultimately drove up the price Disney paid to acquire FOX Entertainment in 2019. Roberts even attempted a hostile takeover of Disney in 2004, which was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back during Michael Eisner’s reign as CEO of Disney.
The NBA is looking to double or potentially triple its rights fees under this new deal. Currently, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery pay $2.6 billion annually.
Could the NBA follow in the NFL’s footsteps and partner with both ESPN and NBC? It’s possible. More games on network TV and alternating years presenting the NBA Finals on ESPN/ABC and NBC/Peacock wouldn’t be a bad thing. Other potential players in the next rights deal include tech giants Apple, Google and Amazon.
The NBA’s current media rights deal runs through the 2024-25 season.
