JAKARTA - The NBA has signed an 11-year broadcast rights deal worth US$77 billion (Rp1,252 trillion) with Walt Disney, ESPN, NBCUniversal owned by Comcast, and Amazon.com. This deal allows the three companies to broadcast NBA matches, with Disney, NBCUniversal, and Amazon becoming the main right holders.
The NBA rejected an offer from Warner Bros Discovery's TNT Sports division that was deemed less profitable than Amazon's proposal, ending its four-decade relationship with the media company after next season.
"We think they have misinterpreted our contractual rights regarding the 2025-26 season onwards, and we will take appropriate action," TNT Sports said in a statement.
According to analysts, winning broadcast rights requires great financial commitment given the high production costs. This new deal will increase the number of regular season matches broadcast on TV, from a minimum of 15 matches to 75 games each season.
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"Our new global partnership with Disney, NBCUniversal, and Amazon will maximize the reach and accessibility of NBA matches for fans in the United States and around the world," said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. "These mitras will distribute our content on multiple platforms and help change fan experience over the next decade."
This deal is a blow to Warner's sporting division and adds to investor concerns about their role in a new sports streaming partnership with Disney and Fox.
Ross Benes, television analyst and streaming at the Emarketer, said that lawsuits may occur but will be risky. "Even if the WBD wins a hypothetical lawsuit to get the NBA back, they will be stuck working with the angry NBA because they have just been sued. Such action could also make other leagues afraid to make a deal with them."
Warner CEO David Zaslav said in May that the company "hopes" to reach an agreement with the NBA to keep the league at Max and TNT.
The NBA has contributed greatly to Warner's profits over the past four decades through advertisements on traditional television portfolios and company streaming services.
Tom Forte, senior consumer internet analyst at Maxim Group, said that professional sports leagues prioritize companies they believe can pay the most "currently and in the future, for the right to broadcast their matches."
Separately, the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) announced that it is renewing partnerships with Disney and Amazon as well as signing a new deal with NBCUniversal. This deal will allow the companies to broadcast more than 125 regular-season matches and the WNBA playoffs.
Wide Audience
The league's old partner Disney will broadcast a total of 80 regular NBA games, including 20 matches on the ABC Network. ABC will remain an exclusive home for the NBA Finals, which they have broadcast since 2003.
NBCUniversal will broadcast 100 regular NBA games, with more than half broadcast on NBC. Peacock service will broadcast a doubleheader every Monday night during the season.
The network will also broadcast one in two series of Final Conferences in six out of 11 years of contracts, which they will bring in turns with Amazon, starting with the 2025-26 season.
Amazon will also broadcast 66 regular NBA-season games on Prime Video each season, including at least one game on Black Friday. The NBA adds to the growing list of Prime Video live sports offerings, which include the NFL and NASCAR in 2025.
"Our streaming base is becoming bigger than many cable networks in the US," said Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios. "We bring a wide audience, and also, when we look at our 'Thursday Night Football' rating, they are younger."
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