The NBA has rejected the terms of Warner Bros. Discovery’s attempt to match the media rights proposal set forth by Amazon’s Prime Video, the league announced on Wednesday afternoon. As a result, the NBA has decided to add Amazon as a media rights partner, which is reportedly paying $1.8 billion per year for a package of games that includes six conference finals, the Emirates NBA Cup and additional regular season contests. Warner Bros. Discovery is slated to broadcast the 2024-25 NBA season pursuant to the terms of its existing deal, which could also mean an end to the award-winning Inside the NBA studio program.
“Warner Bros. Discovery’s most recent proposal did not match the terms of Amazon Prime Video’s offer and, therefore, we have entered into a long-term arrangement with Amazon,” the league said in a statement. “Throughout these negotiations, our primary objective has been to maximize the reach and accessibility of our games for our fans. Our new arrangement with Amazon supports this goal by complementing the broadcast, cable and streaming packages that are already part of our new Disney and NBCUniversal arrangements. All three partners have also committed substantial resources to promote the league and enhance the fan experience.
“We are grateful to Turner Sports for its award-winning coverage of the NBA and look forward to another season of the NBA on TNT.”
Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT Sports division issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon pertaining to the league’s decision to reject its matching rights bid where it stated it will take “appropriate action” regarding the situation. Entities owned by the company have aired NBA games since the 1984-85 season and are now prepared to be without live broadcast rights for the first time in four decades.
“We have matched the Amazon offer, as we have a contractual right to do, and do not believe the NBA can reject it,” Warner Bros. Discovery said in a statement. “In doing so, they are rejecting the many fans who continue to show their unwavering support for our best-in-class coverage, delivered through the full combined reach of WBD’s video-first distribution platforms — including TNT, home to our four-decade partnership with the league, and Max, our leading streaming service.
“We think they have grossly misinterpreted our contractual rights with respect to the 2025-26 season and beyond, and we will take appropriate action. We look forward, however, to another great season of the NBA on TNT and Max including our iconic Inside the NBA.”
In a release, the league laid out various elements of the new agreement, saying, “The new media deals will expand the reach of NBA telecasts, with all national games available on broadly distributed streaming services – Prime Video, Peacock and ESPN’s forthcoming direct-to-consumer service – and with dramatically increased exposure on broadcast television. Approximately 75 regular-season games will be on broadcast TV each season, up from the minimum of 15 games under the current agreement.”
The league also said Disney, NBCU and Amazon also secured the right to distribute an unprecedented number of WNBA games. Full details regarding the WNBA’s media agreements will be announced at a later time.
