The NBA is a fast-growing league with a lot of watchers among the younger generation. There’s no doubt that many enjoy watching the league’s stars on a regular basis, and the 2022-23 season has been particularly hyped on social media.
It has recently been reported by journalist Michael McCarthy that Amazon may end up being a bidder for the NBA’s media rights in the future, noting that Amazon believes that having a “built-in audience of over 200 million Amazon Prime customers” would make them an appealing option for the NBA.
The league will likely seek $50 billion to $75 billion for its next multi-year package, said sources. Amazon is paying the NFL around $1 billion a year to exclusively stream TNF through 2033.
Amazon has long been cited as a potential NBA bidder. But every week it defies expectations with TNF, that theory becomes more of a reality.
“The (NBA) has certainly done very well for a long time with ESPN and Turner. But interest in the league — and its strategic importance — are only growing,” said John Kosner, the former NBA and ESPN executive turned investor and advisor.
Commissioner Adam Silver’s NBA is the most technology-forward sports league. Amazon believes TNF’s better-than-anticipated performance — and built-in audience of over 200 million Amazon Prime customers — makes it attractive to the global NBA, said sources.
The NBA surpassed $10 billion in revenue for the first time with the 2021-2022 season. Jeff Bezos’ Amazon won’t get the NBA without a fight. ESPN and TNT will battle to retain their packages, said sources.
There is no doubt that the NBA having a deal with Amazon could end up getting them a lot more viewers. There are a huge number of households in the United States that would love to watch games on Amazon Prime. It remains to be seen who ends up winning the bidding war for the NBA’s media rights in the future, but Amazon is certainly an appealing option.
Jeff Bezos Could Still Get Involved With The NBA By Buying The Suns
There is no doubt that there are still ways for Jeff Bezos to get involved in the NBA, even if Amazon doesn’t end up getting the league’s media rights. In fact, it was previously reported that Jeff Bezos could be one of the names that are interested in acquiring the Phoenix Suns in the future.
It remains to be seen what course of action Jeff Bezos will take in the future. Though obviously, the goal would be for Amazon to acquire the NBA’s media rights, it is quite likely that getting the Phoenix Suns would be a solid option for the billionaire as well.
