As the NBA continues its slate of playoff games to determine the next NBA Champion, the league has yet to announce who will be carrying national television games after next year. The Walt Disney Company (ESPN/ABC) and Amazon Prime Video reportedly have frameworks for deals that would be for the league’s “A” and “C” packages, respectively. The widespread belief is that the league has created one more media rights package that is currently being pursued by the incumbent Warner Bros. Discovery and Comcast’s NBCUniversal. On the latest edition of his eponymous show, The Bill Simmons Podcast, host Bill Simmons informed listeners that he believes the new television deal is complete.
“One of the funniest things ever is that we are all pretending that the TV deal wasn’t done like a week and a half ago,” Simmons said. “….I think it’s done. I think Warner already lost it, and I don’t know why we’re waiting until after the playoffs. Maybe that’s how they have to do it, but it’s a wrap. NBC’s getting it. I’m just telling you.”
Both NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery are holding Upfront events this week in New York City with no public resolution currently announced. NBCUniversal did not address NBA rights at the event, but NBC Sports president Rick Cordella previously told Barrett Sports Media that the company would look at the league but that it would have to make sense and that it would be “disciplined” when approaching it.
NBCUniversal announced on Monday that it added an NFL regular season game to its slate, along with the Kickoff matchup between the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens. The company will also broadcast the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on linear television, through Peacock, its streaming platform and disseminate content through a variety of additional avenues.
According to John Ourand of Puck News, Disney will continue carrying the NBA Finals and one conference final series every year should the new NBA media rights deal come to fruition, reportedly worth approximately $2.6 billion annually over 11 years. Additionally, Amazon would carry weekly regular season games and is reportedly looking to have a Saturday night window as part of its package as well. The company would have the rights to the NBA In-Season Tournament and play-in games for the playoffs, along with some first and second round playoff games.
Amazon would also reportedly have the conference finals every other year, completing a package that would reportedly be worth $1.8 billion per year. NBCUniversal has reportedly bid $2.5 billion a year for rights to the NBA, which would complete a two-and-a-half times increase in the average value of national television media rights should all deals close at the reported figures.
