Ask most people in the sports media business what the best studio show is regardless of sports, and you will get a nearly unanimous answer. Inside the NBA has been the gold standard by which everything else is measured for decades. Each year, other networks spend countless millions trying to recreate its magic. In a world of fake laughs and non-distinct points of view, Inside the NBA is authentically entertaining. Is the NBA really just going to let it come to an unceremonious end?
The league is in the midst of negotiating new TV contracts and reportedly has two of its three deals done. We’ve learned that ESPN and ABC will retain the top TV package, which includes the NBA Finals, while a new streaming-exclusive package will go to Amazon. There’s just one package of games left and both TNT and NBC want it.
If TNT wins out, there’s no problem for Inside the NBA. The show may air fewer times per year, but it will still be in basketball fans’ lives. There’s no guarantee though, because NBC is reportedly ready to shell out $2.5 billion to ensure the return of “Roundball Rock” to living rooms everywhere.
If that happens, TNT is out of the basketball business and Ernie Johnson says that won’t change his employment status. Even if Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal sign elsewhere, he will remain loyal to the network. Inside the NBA without Ernie Johnson is not Inside the NBA.
Let’s be real. Charles Barkley talks about walking away from television all the time. Any change to his current work situation could very likely mean he is just done with work. He will happily settle into retirement.
So I have a radical proposal. It’s one that could keep the show together regardless of what happens with the NBA’s final TV package. If every member of the Inside the NBA cast has an opt-out clause that allows them to leave Warner Bros. Discovery if TNT does not have NBA games, the league should do something bold. It should buy the rights to Inside the NBA, sign Barkley, Johnson, O’Neal and Smith to non-exclusive deals and make it the league’s official pre-game show. Regardless of what network or streaming service the game is on, Inside the NBA will always be the pre-game show.
This isn’t like what the league currently has for studio programming on NBA TV. I am suggesting that when the game is on ESPN, Inside the NBA airs on ESPN. When they are playing on Amazon, the show is on Amazon. In an era when every league has its own network, why would a league-owned studio show be any different?
All of the networks involved could scoff. They could demand to fully own whatever shoulder programming they air. Ask ESPN how that’s been working out. NBA Countdown is constantly being made over and every iteration is stuck playing second fiddle to TNT.
More networks would mean more shows. Barkley has said he isn’t trying to work more. I would bet O’Neal and Smith feel the same way. That’s not a problem. The NBA could handle the show exactly how TNT did, with multiple casts. Each of the four main players could work a total of two days a week with one of them being a day they are all on together. That sort of flexibility combined with a non-exclusive deal would make it possible for Johnson to stay with the show and stay with TNT.
It’s a bold suggestion, but the show is that important. Even the people that track NBA ratings for political reasons agree that Inside the NBA is great TV.
Businesses go to great lengths to protect what makes their product special. Disney finally gave up its fight to keep the original film appearance of Mickey Mouse out of the public domain after 48 years of creating and finding loopholes. Maybe Inside the NBA doesn’t hold the same cultural significance that Mickey Mouse does, but just like Walt Disney’s iconic character, Inside the NBA is the measuring stick in its corner of the entertainment world. So many less successful copycats and spinoffs have come and gone.
All good things must come to an end, but great things should get special consideration. They cannot be allowed to leave us until all efforts to keep them successfully intact have been exhausted. That’s all I’m asking for for Inside the NBA. The league can’t let one media conglomerate’s financial uncertainty dictate the fate of one of its most reliable properties.
Fans and the media industry have made our stance clear. We love Inside the NBA! We think it’s special. It’s worth saving even if the NBA on TNT brand isn’t. In order to do that, the NBA may have to step in and rethink the best ways to partner with media companies.
Demetri Ravanos is a columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. He is also the creator of The Sports Podcast Festival, and a previous host on the Chewing Clock and Media Noise podcasts. He occasionally fills in on stations across the Carolinas in addition to hosting Panthers and College Football podcasts. His radio resume includes stops at WAVH and WZEW in Mobile, AL, WBPT in Birmingham, AL and WBBB, WPTK and WDNC in Raleigh, NC.
You can find him on Twitter @DemetriRavanos or reach him by email at DemetriTheGreek@gmail.com.
