After announcing that it has rejected TNT’s proposal to match Amazon’s media rights offer, the NBA formally confirmed the renewal of its broadcast agreement with Disney (ESPN/ABC) and its new deals with NBCUniversal (NBC/Peacock) and Amazon (Prime Video).
The new media deals will cover 11 years, beginning with the 2025/26 season and running through ’35/36. While the league’s announcement doesn’t share any financial details, Andrew Marchand of The Athletic pegs the value of the agreements at about $77 billion in total, with Disney paying approximately $2.6 billion per year, NBC at $2.5 billion per year, and Amazon around $1.93 billion annually.
The NBA states that the new deals will significantly increase the number of games available on broadcast television, bumping that number to about 75 per season. All national games will also be available on streaming services (Prime Video, Peacock, or ESPN’s forthcoming service).
Here are some additional details from the league:
Disney:
- Disney will broadcast 80 regular season games per year, including 20+ on ABC and up to 60 on ESPN. ABC’s games will air on Saturdays and Sundays, with ESPN’s airing on Wednesdays and some Fridays.
- ABC and ESPN will broadcast about 18 games in the first two rounds of the playoffs each season.
- In 10 of the 11 seasons in the agreement, ABC and ESPN will air one of the two conference finals.
- ABC will continue to air the NBA Finals.
- ABC/ESPN will continue to air the draft, the draft lottery, and half of the Summer League games.
NBCUniversal:
- NBCUniversal will distribute as many as 100 regular season games per year. More than half of those games will be broadcast on NBC on Sunday and Tuesday nights. Peacock will stream Monday night doubleheaders throughout the regular season.
- The All-Star Game and All-Star Saturday Night (including the dunk contest and three-point competition) will air on NBC.
- NBC and/or Peacock will air about 28 games in the first two rounds of the playoffs each season.
- In six of the 11 seasons in the agreement, NBC will broadcast one of the two conference finals. They’ll rotate with Amazon beginning in 2025/26.
Amazon:
- Amazon will distribute 66 regular season games per year on Prime Video. Those will include Thursday doubleheaders (beginning in January), Friday doubleheaders, some Saturday games, and at least one game on Black Friday.
- Prime Video will broadcast the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final of the NBA Cup (in-season tournament).
- Prime Video will broadcast all six games in the play-in tournament.
- Prime Video will air approximately a third of the games in the first two rounds of the playoffs each season.
- In six of the 11 seasons in the agreement, Amazon will air one of the two conference finals. They’ll rotate with NBC beginning in 2025/26.
- Note: Because NBC and Amazon will each broadcast six conference finals, there will be one year in which they each get one and Disney doesn’t.
- Prime Video will air half of the Summer League games.
A lawsuit from TNT Sports – a longtime NBA broadcast partner and the odd man out in this round of negotiations – is possible after the NBA rejected TNT’s right to match Amazon’s deal.
However, according to Marchand, neither side would want an extended legal battle in which private conversations could be made public during the discovery process. That means a lawsuit may lead to a settlement, either in the form of other NBA rights or financial compensation.
and the Pistons will still get 2 national broadcast games per season.
They don’t even deserve that many…
and they will be losing a 40 plus year fan who isn’t interested in streaming options for those games
I wonder if Amazon’s games will be “free” for customers who already pay for Amazon Prime, or will we have to pay extra for their terrible video service? Cause even now, only some Amazon Video content is actually streamable for free. About half requires additional fees.
They never had any intention of giving WB/TNT a chance. Lame