The NBA’s next media rights deal is a looming question as the league’s contracts with ESPN and TNT expire after the 2024-25 season. We now know that Amazon Prime Video has agreed to be a new bundle partner. According to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, Amazon’s deal with the NBA will begin in the 2025-26 season and is expected to last at least 10 years. The deal would include regular season and postseason games, with the potential to include the conference finals and global broadcast rights.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but ESPN is said to have paid $1.6 billion a year in its deal, while TNT paid $1.2 billion a year. ESPN/ABC is also reportedly working on a new deal that would give ABC exclusive rights to the NBA Finals for at least a decade. However, ESPN could broadcast fewer games under the new package, potentially opening up the broadcast to another TV partner.
The question remains as to who will broadcast those games, with NBC reportedly interested in regaining NBA broadcast rights. NBC has been without NBA games since 2002, but is eager to provide content for its streaming platform, Peacock. Warner Bros. Discovery, TNT’s corporate owner, has the right to any deal for NBA broadcasts, as losing those telecasts would leave a major void in the network’s schedule. Amazon’s NBA broadcasts could potentially air on Thursday nights, the spot currently occupied by Thursday night NFL broadcasts.
In addition, Google is interested in carrying NBA League Pass, the league’s out-of-market broadcast package