The NBA and Warner Bros. Discovery have unveiled their post-lawsuit settlement and the gains for both sides from renewing their agreement with an 11-year deal.
Warners negotiated a new pact for live NBA games, including regular season and playoff match-ups. And the major studio gets some international NBA games to accelerate TNT Sports growth globally, and expanded clips rights to promote league content.
WBD, the parent company of TNT Sports, sued the NBA in New York state court after the league did not accept the company’s matching offer for one of the packages.
With that legal action ended, a new 11-year media rights deal starting with the 2025-26 season has been unveiled on Monday.
TNT Sports, an NBA rights holder since 1984, also gets from ESPN Big 12 football — 13 games each season — and 15 men’s basketball games annually, starting with the 2025 season.
That makes ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro a big winner in the post-settlement deal, as The Hollywood Reporter has learned he was pivotal to bringing the NBA over to reach a deal with WBD as legacy media platforms everywhere look to live TV sports to offset a decline in traditional TV viewership.
WBD will also expand the reach of sports digital brands like Bleacher Report and House of Highlights as TNT Sports and its brand portfolio secures a global license to create, produce and distribute new and existing NBA content across its platforms.
That comes with promotion, sales and creative opportunities across the NBA and WBD platforms.
“Together these agreements ensure fans will continue to enjoy TNT’s Inside the NBA and create tremendous value for our entire portfolio as we accelerate the growth of TNT Sports, Bleacher Report, House of Highlights and our global sports business,” David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, said in a statement on Monday.
“We are pleased to partner with the NBA and Disney/ESPN, and to have solidified long-term rights and revenue for WBD,” he added as all disputes in the studio’s lawsuit against the NBA have been resolved.
For its part, the NBA get that legal action off its back and TNT Sports’ Inside the NBA program will air on ESPN and ABC, beginning with the 2025-26 season.
“The opportunity to continue the iconic and Emmy Award-winning Inside the NBA is a huge win for basketball fans everywhere,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in his own statement.
The agreement also expands the NBA’s digital partnership with TNT Sports for another five seasons, which includes production, content development and sales operations services.
WBD will also promote the NBA League Pass and help build its subscriber base. In addition, advertising for NBA properties will run on WBD linear channels and digital platforms.
“We look forward to building on our longstanding partnership with TNT Sports and working together to promote NBA content across key WBD and NBA platforms,” Silver added.