NBA Ends TV Deals With ESPN, NBC, Amazon, But TNT Still Can Compete: Sources

NBA and network officials have finalized contracts that make NBC and Amazon Prime Video new partners, while keeping ABC/ESPN as the home of the NBA Finals, under agreements that will span 11 seasons and be worth $76 billion, according to executives with direct knowledge of the deals.

While the NBA and its partner have agreed to all the terms, TNT Sports continues to threaten to do the same. The CEO of TNT Sports’ parent company, David Zaslav of Warner Bros. Discovery, has publicly stated that he may try to use the terms in the current contract to stay in the NBA. If Zaslav goes ahead with that, he’s expected to target Amazon’s package.

The next step is for league governors to approve agreements with ESPN, NBC and Amazon, which are expected to be a mere formality.

The Board of Governors is scheduled to meet Tuesday in Las Vegas. After the final move by the league’s governors, the NBA will send final contracts to TNT Sports.

At this point, the company will have five days to make its decision. If it declines, the NBA is expected to make an official announcement before the Olympics, which open on July 26.

The NBA, TNT Sports, ESPN, NBC and Amazon declined to comment.

Under the NBA’s new television deals with ESPN, NBC and Amazon Prime, the regular season will include national broadcasts nearly seven days a week, according to people familiar with the agreements.

The NBA will borrow a page from the NFL. After the regular football season ends, NBC will take over the league’s success by delivering the highest-rated primetime show on TV, “Sunday Night Football,” while Amazon will do the same on Thursdays after its Sunday Night Football coverage ends.

Other Amazon Prime Video games are expected to air throughout the regular season primarily on Friday and Saturday nights.

NBC will air games throughout the entire NBA season on Tuesday. Peacock, NBC’s streaming service, is expected to air exclusive games on Monday. Peacock will also simulcast all of NBC’s games.

ESPN will slightly reduce the number of regular-season games, from about 100 now to the 80-game range. During the NFL season, its games will air on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, with its Saturday night game having its own window on ABC. Later in the year, after the NFL, ESPN will air Friday night games as well.

The playoffs will be broadcast on all three platforms, with Amazon Prime Video serving as the in-season home of the tournament. Amazon and NBC will alternate broadcasting the conference finals. The conference finals and NBA Finals will be broadcast on ESPN each season.

While TNT Sports is sitting on the outside looking in right now, ESPN’s deal with the NBA wasn’t exactly easy.

ESPN and NBA executives failed to reach an agreement before their exclusive deal expired in April, with ESPN refusing to back down from giving up any part of the Finals. Shortly after, with ESPN paying $2.6 billion, slightly less than the $2.7 billion checks it writes to the NFL, the NBA agreed to keep the Finals exclusively on ABC/ESPN. NBC is expected to pay $2.5 billion per season, while Amazon will pay $1.8 billion annually.

In the current deal, ESPN and TNT Sports are paying a total of $2.6 billion over a nine-season agreement.

If TNT Sports were to stop airing the show, next season would be the last of the games after nearly four decades. While Charles Barkley has said he plans to retire, the three networks are expected to court him and could try to bring the entire “Inside the NBA” crew to their platform. TNT Sports could also continue to produce the show in some form, even without the NBA games.

For NBC, they have Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle as potential analysts. With Dwyane Wade working the Olympics for NBC, he could be in a position to be a potential No. 1 game analyst. Amazon Prime Video has put the voice of the first four, CBS/TNT/YES’ Ian Eagle, at the top of its wish list for game commentary, and is expected to hire two or three game analysts.

(Photo: David Bering/Getty Images)