NBA Ditches TNT for Amazon Prime in a $76 Billion Deal, Ending Almost Four Decades of Partnership

The NBA has a new TV deal:

• ESPN and ABC (owned by Walt Disney Company)
• NBC Universal
• Amazon Prime Video

The deal:

• 11-year contract, starting 2025-2026 season.
• Total value: ~$76 billion for the NBA and WNBA.

TNT loses out:

• TNT's near 40-year partnership with the NBA ends.
• Parent company Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) claims the NBA negotiated in bad faith.

Details:

• WBD agreed to match Amazon's $1.8 billion per year offer but was rejected.
• WBD-NBA negotiations, including a window that ended in April, failed.
• Deadline reports WBD's plan to take legal action, alleging the NBA "grossly misinterpreted our contractual rights."

'Inside the NBA' is over:

• The popular show with Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O'Neal, and Ernie Johnson will not move to Amazon.
• Barkley hints at retirement; Johnson likely to stay with TNT for other broadcasts (WBD also has MLB, NHL, and college basketball rights).

Fan reaction:

• Devastation. [Inside the NBA] has won 19 Emmys and is a beloved sports program.

The corporate powers-that-be have spoken, but fans aren't ready to say goodbye to the TNT crew just yet.