TNT Sports is suing the NBA after the league rejected an offer to match one of its new television contracts.
“We have taken legal action to enforce our rights after the NBA wrongfully refused to match our third-party offers,” TNT Sports said in a statement.
TNT Sports statement on NBA media rights: pic.twitter.com/C14DPCJ65P
— TNT Sports US PR (@TNTSportsUS) July 26, 2024
The NBA announced 11-year, $77 billion deals with ESPN, NBC and Amazon Prime Video earlier this week.
The deal is set to begin in the 2025-26 season, and TNT Sports will remain the home of the NBA alongside ESPN this season, but the company believes Amazon Prime Video's streaming package offers comparable value.
“Warner Bros. Discovery's claims are without merit and our lawyers will address them,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said.
The lawsuit was filed in New York County Supreme Court and while it's believed that it would be difficult for TNT to actually take over Amazon's package, it could seek damages and a selection of matches and highlights, as TNT has back-end rights under its current contract.
But there is disagreement over the scope of those rights, as the current deal is based on linear cable, while Amazon's new deal is based on streaming.
“This is not just a contractual right, but we strongly believe it is in the best interest of fans who want to continue viewing industry-leading NBA content with the choice and flexibility offered through widely-used WBD video-first distribution platforms, including TNT and Max,” TNT said in a statement.
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