The NBA formalized media rights deals with ESPN, NBC and Amazon this week, and officials told Sports Business Journal they are in the final stages of negotiations. The contracts with the three providers are expected to net the NBA more than $7 billion annually.
ESPN will pay $2.8 billion annually, an increase from the originally reported $2.6 billion for the NBA's “A” package. That package would include the NBA Finals, conference finals, weekly prime-time games, the WNBA and possibly shared international rights.
NBC's “B” package is thought to be worth $2.6 billion annually and will likely include “Basketball Night in America” on Sunday nights after the NFL season, twice-weekly prime-time broadcasts, conference semifinals and It is likely to include the conference finals.
Amazon's deal is believed to be worth between $1.8 billion and $2 billion and is likely to include the Emirates In-Season Tournament, SoFi Play-In Tournament, first round playoffs, WNBA and international rights.
Final changes to the contract are fluid and changing, but are expected to be finalized in the coming days or weeks. Once the written bid is approved, the NBA will take the NBC contract to Warner Bros. Discovery to see if it can match it in “total value.”
The WBD may take legal action over the rights. It is believed that TNT's parent company may challenge the rights to match the deal with NBC. The NBA and WBD appear to have different definitions of what constitutes a match.
