Richard Shotwell/InVision
Warner Bros. Discovery is ready to sue the NBA.
If the shrinking media giants have their way, athletes and influencers will likely take to social media and other platforms to criticize the NBA and Amazon over a new deal that will see digital giant Prime Video stream dozens of professional basketball games starting in the 2025-2026 season.
Warner Bros. Discovery is working with independent public relations firm Edelman to mount a campaign aimed at criticizing Amazon for acquiring NBA rights worth $1.8 billion a year, which Warner believes should remain within its purview. The two companies have been working together on corporate strategy efforts for the past year, according to people familiar with the matter.
In his current effort, Edelman will invite athletes, executives and other notable figures to try to criticize the NBA's decision, which is part of a broader media rights allocation that also sees games awarded to Walt Disney and NBCUniversal in an 11-year deal that begins after the next NBA season, Warner's final one. Edelman also plans to question how moving NBA games to Amazon will affect the fan experience.
According to people who have seen the texts and messages, the PR firm is trying to pressure former NBA players and civil rights leaders to make the case that moving NBA games to Amazon will hurt minority viewers' ability to watch. That argument may be flawed, given how many consumers are cutting expensive cable contracts in favor of streamlined streaming options. By one calculation, watching a season of NBA games on cable would cost about $1,000 a year, or about $83 a month.
Warner Bros. Discovery was not immediately available to comment on Edelman's hiring. A representative for Edelman also declined to comment. The Wall Street Journal previously reported on Edelman's hiring. The firm, which has previously represented major marketing companies such as Unilever Inc.'s Hellmann's and Yum Brands Inc.'s Taco Bell, has been the target of protests from environmental activists who don't like ties to oil companies.
Edelman is likely to argue that moving NBA games, which have long aired on TNT, to TNT would complicate things for consumers who have grown accustomed to watching Warner's NBA coverage and “Inside the NBA” studio programming.
Warner is sure to be hoping to ratchet up pressure on the basketball leagues as it makes its case in court. Warner filed a lawsuit against the NBA in New York Supreme Court on Friday, alleging that the NBA violated contract terms that gave Warner the right to match the terms of any offer that would move games to a competitor. Warner asked earlier this week to match Amazon's offer, but it's clear that media companies and sports leagues are at odds over Warner's ability to match the capabilities of the streaming giants with its cable networks and Max broadband hub.
Charles Barkley, perhaps the show's most popular and outspoken member, expressed his disappointment in the Warner/NBA fiasco on Instagram on Friday. “TNT paid the same amount, but the league knows Amazon and these tech companies are the only companies willing to pay when the rights double in the future,” Barkley said. “The NBA didn't want to upset them.”
Still, Barkley doesn't seem satisfied with Warner's handling of the situation. He told The Athletic on Friday that Warner should never have filed the lawsuit, and he has criticized Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav in recent weeks. Barkley has signaled he plans to retire from “Inside the NBA” after next season, but acknowledged to The Athletic that he is financially burdened by his contract with Warner and would consider moving to a rival media company if he isn't paid.
Warner's public image and outreach is being overseen by a new executive: Warner Bros. Discovery in June named former Obama administration press secretary Robert Gibbs as chief communications and public affairs officer.
