The NBA is one of the fastest-growing sports leagues in the world. The popularity of basketball is increasing every year worldwide, and this is the perfect time for people looking to make money by associating themselves with basketball. In terms of TV rights, the league is making billions from ESPN and TNT and will continue to do so until the end of next season.
After that, the existing TV contracts will have to be renegotiated. This will also give other networks the opportunity to get the NBA on their channel. It seems that TNT won’t be giving much of a fight, with parent company Warner Bros. Discovery CEO claiming that ‘sports is hard.’
"Sports is hard."– Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav on rising costs and ratings challenges. Sports once "lifted all the boats." Says we have favorable deal on March Madness, NHL and baseball playoffs. On NBA he says, "we don't have to have NBA."
— Joe Flint (@JBFlint) November 15, 2022
Warner Bros. saying they don’t need the NBA can’t mean positive things for the long-standing relationship they have with the sport. This would mean Inside the NBA would also cease to exist, arguably the most notable basketball show on TV. Considering the crew of Ernie, Shaq, Chuck, and Kenny just extended their contracts and Jamal Crawford signed with TNT, this could just be a tactical statement from WB.
Would Turner Sports Lose The NBA From Their Portfolio?
The NBA is a legacy product that has been available on Turner for generations. Warner Bros. understands the value the sport brings them but doesn’t want to fall victim to sky-rocketing prices for TV deals around the world. The investment going out of Warner can never be greater than what they’re getting back, so this could just be a tactical move.
ESPN is bound to fight and keep its share of the broadcasting agreement. Not having NBA games on offer is inexcusable for ESPN, so could they try and become the sole broadcaster for a massive sum of money? They could, but it is still more likely that Warner Bros. or a new partner comes in and splits the game load with ESPN.
The next TV deal will also let everyone know whether the league will remain with 30 teams or whether 2 expansion teams will be added to make the field of competition even wider.
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