• Investing
  • Stock
Round Table Thoughts
  • Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Home Editor's Pick TNT’s ‘Inside the NBA’ headed for ESPN and ABC after Warner Bros. Discovery settlement
Editor's Pick

TNT’s ‘Inside the NBA’ headed for ESPN and ABC after Warner Bros. Discovery settlement

by November 18, 2024
by November 18, 2024 0 comment
Share
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestWhatsapp

Warner Bros. Discovery agreed to end its quest to own a package of live National Basketball Association games in the U.S. for the 2025-26 season and beyond, settling all of its legal disputes with the league.

Warner Bros. Discovery sued the NBA in July, claiming the league failed to allow the media company to use its so-called matching rights on a package of live games.

The league selected three media partners — Disney, Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Amazon Prime Video — to be its U.S. distributors of live games for 11 years beginning next season. The total value of the deal, including WNBA games, was about $77 billion, CNBC previously reported.

The settlement with Warner Bros. Discovery, announced Monday, as well as a separate agreement between Warner Bros. Discovery and ESPN, will keep the company in the mix with some NBA content, production partnerships and licensing deals. However, it officially ends Turner Sports’ 40-year relationship with the NBA as a carrier of live games in the U.S. after this season.

Turner Sports has had an NBA package since 1984, with games airing on cable network TNT since 1988. The NBA decided to move away from Warner Bros. Discovery as a media partner for several reasons, including losing faith in the long-term future of cable TV as a method for reaching a younger audience.

Disney and Comcast have broadcast networks to showcase NBA games, and Amazon’s package is exclusively streaming.

The terms of the settlement grant Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT Sports free access to highlights for the company’s Bleacher Report digital news site and its social media platform House of Highlights for the next 11 years, according to a person familiar with the details. The deal also allows Warner Bros. Discovery to license, create and distribute new and existing NBA content across its media assets and includes live game rights in the Nordic countries, Poland and Latin America, excluding Brazil and Mexico.

The agreement also extends a partnership between NBA Digital and TNT Sports for five seasons that allows the NBA to engage Warner Bros. Discovery to provide promotion and “a variety of services, including production, content development and sales operations services,” according to a statement.

The league isn’t paying Warner Bros. Discovery any additional money for those services beyond the terms of the settlement, according to people familiar with the matter.

TNT’s popular “Inside the NBA” studio show will be licensed to Disney’s ESPN and ABC for premier NBA games in the regular season and the playoffs, including the Finals. ESPN’s current NBA studio show, “Countdown,” will continue for other ESPN regular season games.

TNT Sports will continue to produce “Inside the NBA,” starring Ernie Johnson Jr., Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal. The four hosts will stay with the show for the duration of their contracts and may develop other new content for Warner Bros. Discovery’s cable and streaming platforms, including programs such as an “Inside Sports” show currently in development for next season, according to the company. ESPN has protections in the deal that would allow it to stop licensing the show if key hosts depart, according to two people familiar with the contract.

It’s unclear if “Inside the NBA” will contain TNT or ESPN branding when the show begins airing on Disney’s platforms next year, according to people familiar with the matter. While TNT Sports has full editorial control of the show, ESPN talent may collaborate with the hosts, the people said.

“The opportunity to continue the iconic and Emmy Award-winning ‘Inside the NBA’ is a huge win for basketball fans everywhere,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in a statement. “We look forward to building on our longstanding partnership with TNT Sports and working together to promote NBA content across key WBD and NBA platforms.”

Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery have partnered several times in the past year, including on a streaming bundle that links Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max service to Disney+ and Disney’s Hulu, and on a sports-focused joint venture called Venu that’s currently in limbo due to antitrust concerns.

As a side part of the settlement that doesn’t involve the NBA, ESPN is allowing TNT to televise 13 Big 12 football games and 15 men’s basketball games each season, starting in 2025. The deal gives the Big 12 more linear TV exposure through TNT, as most of the games would have streamed exclusively on ESPN+, according to people familiar with the matter.

ESPN struck a similar sub-licensing deal with Warner Bros. Discovery for first round and quarterfinal College Football Playoff games earlier this year.

The deal allows Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive Officer David Zaslav to walk away with something after failing to reach a deal with the league during its exclusive negotiating window earlier this year.

“Together these agreements ensure fans will continue to enjoy TNT’s ‘Inside the NBA’ and create tremendous value for our entire portfolio as we accelerate the growth of TNT Sports, Bleacher Report, House of Highlights and our global sports business,” Zaslav in a statement.

Silver told CNBC last month that the league “absolutely” could have reached a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery but leadership on both sides never saw eye-to-eye.

“It wasn’t a longtime relationship with the people currently running Warner Brothers Discovery,” said Silver. “Ideally in these partnerships, people aren’t pulling out the contract and saying page eight, paragraph three. You’re saying you understand the spirit of what you were trying to accomplish, and that you’re willing to adjust based on changes that might have been unpredictable. So when you’re actually looking at the contract, that’s a sign that the partnership isn’t going as well.”

Disclosure: Comcast’s NBCUniversal is the parent company of CNBC.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
You Might Also Like
  • Digital health companies got pummeled by Wall Street in 2024 as industry adapts to post-Covid slowdown
  • Collapse of fintech firm with 10M users leaves many Americans without access to their money
  • Microsoft to roll out new autonomous AI agents next month, fending off challenge from Salesforce
  • Hertz says 2024 hack exposed some customers’ driver license and credit card data
Share
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestWhatsapp

previous post
Stocks: “…a PERMANENTLY high plateau”?
next post
MarketCarpets Secrets: How to Spot Winning Stocks in Minutes!

You may also like

Biden administration unveils proposed changes to big banks’ overdraft fees

January 18, 2024

UPS workers vote to authorize strike while cheering unexpected progress...

June 21, 2023

Rite Aid files for second bankruptcy in two years

May 6, 2025

Ford and Mazda issue do-not-drive warnings for 457,000 vehicles with...

August 13, 2024

TikTok-inspired thefts prompt 17 states to urge recall of Kia,...

April 23, 2023

Capital One outage drags into Friday afternoon, leaving some customers...

January 18, 2025

Jury returns verdict in Sam Bankman-Fried fraud trial

November 3, 2023

Honda recalls thousands of Honda CR-V hybrids over electrical issue...

December 21, 2023

Wendy’s will offer $3 breakfast deal, as rivals such as...

May 21, 2024

First Republic is seized by the FDIC and sold to...

May 3, 2023

    Stay updated with the latest news, exclusive offers, and special promotions. Sign up now and be the first to know! As a member, you'll receive curated content, insider tips, and invitations to exclusive events. Don't miss out on being part of something special.


    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Recent Posts

    • Nvidia results spark global chip rally

      May 30, 2025
    • Boeing to resume airplane deliveries to China next month, ramp up Max production, CEO says

      May 29, 2025
    • Nuclear Power Trio: OKLO, SMR, and CCJ in Focus

      May 29, 2025
    • Analyzing SIL, USO, and NVDA: Could These Bullish Patterns Trigger?

      May 29, 2025
    • E.l.f. Beauty to acquire Hailey Bieber skin care brand Rhode in up to $1 billion deal

      May 29, 2025

    Popular Posts

    • 1

      Trump-era China sanctions ended by Biden may be...

      June 27, 2024 2,764 views
    • 2

      Walz’s honeymoon with China gets fresh scrutiny as...

      August 9, 2024 2,470 views
    • 3

      Biden appointee played key role in recruiting Chinese...

      June 25, 2024 2,450 views
    • 4

      Shein’s global ambitions leaves some cybersecurity experts fearful...

      July 10, 2024 2,429 views
    • 5

      Harris VP pick spent years promoting research facility...

      August 29, 2024 2,307 views

    Categories

    • Economy (7,009)
    • Editor's Pick (2,104)
    • Investing (538)
    • Stock (2,578)

    Popular Posts

    • 1

      Trump-era China sanctions ended by Biden may be revived under new House GOP bill

      June 27, 2024
    • 2

      Walz’s honeymoon with China gets fresh scrutiny as Harris camp blasts ‘lying’ critics

      August 9, 2024
    • 3

      Biden appointee played key role in recruiting Chinese businesses to Delaware: ‘Longtime friends’

      June 25, 2024
    • 4

      Shein’s global ambitions leaves some cybersecurity experts fearful of Chinese spy threats

      July 10, 2024
    • 5

      Harris VP pick spent years promoting research facility that collaborated with ‘Chinese military company’

      August 29, 2024

    Latest News

    • Nvidia results spark global chip rally

      May 30, 2025
    • Boeing to resume airplane deliveries to China next month, ramp...

      May 29, 2025
    • Nuclear Power Trio: OKLO, SMR, and CCJ in Focus

      May 29, 2025

    Categories

    • Economy (7,009)
    • Editor's Pick (2,104)
    • Investing (538)
    • Stock (2,578)

    Disclaimer: RoundTableThoughts.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2024 RoundTableThoughts.com. All Rights Reserved.

    Round Table Thoughts
    • Investing
    • Stock
    Round Table Thoughts
    • Economy
    • Editor’s Pick

    Read alsox

    Netflix shares soar as company reports...

    January 22, 2025

    UAW autoworkers officially ratified new contract,...

    November 22, 2023

    Cryptocurrency ‘pig butchering’ scam wrecks Kansas...

    August 22, 2024
    Sign In

    Keep me signed in until I sign out

    Forgot your password?

    Password Recovery

    A new password will be emailed to you.

    Have received a new password? Login here