Charles Barkley will be remaining as a member of TNT Sports for years to come, officially reaffirming a long-term commitment with the Warner Bros. Discovery division. Barkley signed a 10-year deal worth $210 million in 2022 and is entering his 25th year with the company this year. The studio analyst for Inside the NBA will appear on the show as TNT Sports enters its final year with broadcast rights to the National Basketball Association.
“I love my TNT Sports family,” Barkley said in a statement. “My #1 priority has been and always will be our people and keeping everyone together for as long as possible. We have the most amazing people, and they are the best at what they do. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with them both on the shows we currently have and new ones we develop together in the future. This is the only place for me.
“I have to say … I’ve been impressed by the leadership team who is fighting hard and have been aggressive in adding new properties to TNT Sports, which I am very excited about. I appreciate them and all of my colleagues for their continued support, and most importantly our fans. I’m going to give my all as we keep them entertained for years to come.”
Barkley had previously divulged that he had discussions with all three rightsholders under the new NBA media rights contract, including The Walt Disney Company (ESPN/ABC), NBCUniversal (NBC/Peacock) and Amazon’s Prime Video. Near the conclusion of the 2023 NBA season, he had announced that he was retiring from television no matter what after next season concluded.
Over the last several months, Warner Bros. Discovery has added broadcast rights for several sports entities, including the French Open, Big East Conference and Mountain West Conference. Additionally, the company agreed to a deal with ESPN to sublicense select College Football Playoff games beginning this season.
“Charles is one of the best and most beloved sportscasters in the history of television,” Luis Silberwasser, chairman and chief executive officer of TNT Sports, said in a statement. “I know I speak for all the members of the TNT Sports family when I say we are incredibly thrilled to share this mutual commitment to continue showcasing Charles’ one-of-a-kind talents and entertain fans well into the future. We continue to add to the breadth and depth of our sports portfolio — including new properties in the College Football Playoffs, Roland-Garros, NASCAR, BIG EAST college basketball, Mountain West football, among others – and it’s fantastic to have Charles for this journey as we develop new content ideas and shows for our fans.”
This is a developing story. More information will be added as it is learned.
