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NBA, WBD reach settlement in TV rights lawsuit

The settlement allows WBD to distribute NBA games overseas, and utilize basketball content for its own shows and programming.

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mkeys@thedesk.net

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(From left) Shaquille O'Neal, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley on the set of "NBA on TNT" in November 2023. (Still frame via TNT Sports broadcast)
(From left) Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley on the set of “NBA on TNT” in November 2023. (Still frame via TNT Sports broadcast)

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) have reached a settlement in a civil lawsuit filed over television rights to a package of NBA games.

The rights deal is scheduled to start with the 2025-26 season — in other words, next year — when a package of games will move from WBD-owned TNT Sports to Amazon’s streaming service, Prime Video. WBD sued shortly after the deal was announced, saying their current TV contract required the NBA to weigh counter-offers to retain the package against bids from challengers. The Desk was the first to report WBD was considering a lawsuit. Amazon was not a party to the matter.

On Saturday, the Wall Street Journal said the NBA and WBD were set to announce an agreement this week that allows WBD to distribute some NBA games in several European and Latin American countries, except Brazil and Mexico. WBD owns the pan-European satellite sports channel Eurosport; it was not clear from the WSJ’s report if the games will be aired on that network, or streamed via Discovery Plus and Max.

In the United States, TNT Sports will still lose regular season and post-season games to Prime Video, but it retains the right to NBA content for “Inside the NBA” and others shows. In a separate deal, WBD agreed to license “Inside the NBA” to ESPN and ABC, the WSJ said, and ESPN will sublicense college football and basketball games to TNT Sports. That deal has yet to be announced.

Digital platforms like Bleacher Report and House of Highlights will also be able to utilize NBA content under license, and WBD will continue to partner with the NBA on differentiated digital operations, which will provide the broadcaster with $350 million in revenue through the duration of the agreement. Presumably, that also includes NBA TV, the cable network that WBD operates.

CNN and the Sports Business Journal confirmed parts of the WSJ’s reporting between Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon.

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About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys is the award-winning founder and editor of TheDesk.net, an authoritative voice on broadcast and streaming TV, media and tech. With over ten years of experience, he's a recognized expert in broadcast, streaming, and digital media, with work featured in publications such as StreamTV Insider and Digital Content Next, and past roles at Thomson Reuters and Disney-ABC Television Group.
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