"We try our best to respect the game and showcase and display it in a fashion that might be a little bit more appetizing for a different group of people that are watching alongside the best play commentators on Earth."
National television broadcasts of the National Basketball Association on ABC, ESPN and TNT reportedly averaged a collective 1.53 million viewers on the season.
There have not been more details revealed about the new special ahead of the final Thursday regular-season episode of the show on TNT airing Thursday beginning at 6 p.m. EST.
"We’re looking forward to this new partnership with DAZN as we collectively deliver this exciting new global soccer club competition in the US this summer."
"We’d rather invest – if we saved a huge amount of money by not doing the NBA, it’s more money that we can spend on the quality content that we can make global that we think can strategically help us."
The game is fourth among all networks including the NHL season slate, falling behind three games that aired on ABC all either containing the Boston Bruins or New York Rangers.
"We look forward to honoring the content that moved audiences in 2026 and continuing the Gracies’ long-standing investment in the people who will shape what comes next.”