Manny Millan/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images
In the first public comments from a media partner about the NBA's $76 billion broadcast rights deal, Comcast President Mike Cavanagh said the NBA will be an integral part of NBCUniversal for “decades to come.”
The executive said Comcast expects an 11-year deal with the NBA to be announced “soon.” Previously, various media outlets have reported in bits and pieces, citing anonymous sources, that Disney has signed an extension with the NBA. A third deal is in the works with Prime Video and Warner Bros. Discovery. Following reports that Amazon had secured the rights, Warner Bros. Discovery on Monday asserted its own rights, adding another twist to a long string of deals.
“We do not expect the settlement of the matching rights to have an impact on the package that we expect to receive,” Cavanagh said on Comcast's second-quarter earnings conference call.
While Kavanagh did not confirm reports that Comcast paid a whopping $2.5 billion per year, he did share some details about the rights that were secured: Beginning with the 2025-26 season, 100 regular season games will be shown on NBCU's platforms, more than any other NBA broadcast partner will air (or via current rights holders WBD and Disney). They will also have exclusive first and second round series of the playoffs, as well as six conference finals over the life of the 11-year deal.
Peacock will air 50 exclusive regular-season and postseason games, including national games and doubleheaders on Monday nights, Cavanagh said. The package will also include WNBA games, a league that has seen tremendous ratings growth over the past few years.
The NBA “reach[s]a broad, diverse, young audience that is culturally relevant,” the executive said. NBC's arrival is “a testament to our breadth and influence.” NBC was NBC's primary media partner during the league's meteoric rise as a global force in the 1980s and 1990s. NBC's coverage of Michael Jordan's back-to-back championships was a cornerstone of sports media in the late 20th century until ESPN and ABC took over NBC's broadcast rights in the early 2000s.
Cavanagh said the addition of the nine-month NBA season “completes the year-round sports calendar,” citing other marquee events such as the NFL, Premier League, golf and the Olympics.
Kavanagh stressed that Comcast is “fully committed to supporting the NBA for decades to come.”
The NBA media deal marks another milestone in a series of major sports rights deals, highlighting the value of live sports not only to pay-TV but also to streaming platforms.
