The NBA may be moving towards a blockbuster broadcast deal with Amazon to exclusively broadcast games. Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports reported that a possible $50 billion deal could be in the works to give Amazon exclusive rights to stream NBA games on a specific day, similar to what they do for ‘Thursday Night Football’ with the NFL.
“The NBA is reportedly intrigued by Amazon’s ability to attract a demographic that’s seven years younger than the NFL’s legacy partners and is looking for $50-75 billion for its next cycle of long-term media rights deals starting in the 2025–26 season,”
The NBA’s media rights deals are up for renegotiation soon and it seems the league is becoming an even more attractive prospect for broadcasters now compared to what it was during the negotiations preceding the dominant era of the Golden State Warriors.
ESPN and TNT will also be expected to try and retain the media rights they already hold, but the growth of streaming has made Amazon, Netflix, and Apple TV genuine contenders to try and also get in on the action of broadcasting the NBA.
Apple, Amazon, YouTube, and Disney Already Linked To Regional Broadcast Deals
With the collapse of Regional Sports Networks across the United States, with Bally Sports’ collapse being the latest, it seems streaming companies are taking a heavy interest in taking over those deals. Bloomberg had reported in August that various top streaming companies are already interested in acquiring rights from Bally Sports to get their feet into NBA streaming in specific regions.
“Walt Disney Co., Apple Inc., Amazon.com Inc., and YouTube have expressed interest in streaming local NBA games, potentially taking over rights now held by a broadcaster in bankruptcy, people familiar with the matter said.”
The NBA will be careful about the likelihood of them transitioning from linear to digital media in terms of how they broadcast content. Giving up broadcast rights to streaming services like Disney or Apple would essentially nuke the NBA League Pass, as fans would just use their larger entertainment subscriptions on major networks to watch NBA games instead of investing in League Pass.
This is for regional deals to help the 16 teams that Bally was broadcasting regional games for. We haven’t seen any movement in the last two months, so it’s unlikely we see Bally give up their rights this season as they will continue to air games while going through bankruptcy.
No League Expansion Until Media Rights Are Agreed Upon
The league is looking prime and ready for two expansion teams to be added, with clear interest from players, owners, and even executives. However, we will have to be patient until the end of the current media contracts with ESPN and TNT, according to what NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum said to Fadeaway World.
“The next big thing that’s on our agenda is really getting through the national media rights deal. We’ve got two years left on that. We’re starting the process of engaging with our current incumbent partners. To talk about the future of our media rights. We won’t really focus on expansion until that point.”
ESPN and TNT have a year and a half left in their exclusive renegotiation window with the NBA, as other bidders can join the race in 2025. It’s unlikely the NBA will renew without seeing what else can be offered, with traditional networks like NBC and FOX also possibly joining the mix.
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