Amazon acquires NBA Media Rights, NBA still shopping other parts of deal

[thunderc]

I’m waiting to see how Cuban proceeds. He put 10 games on one of the OTA channels in Dallas after the All Star Break which would be cool except I’m a little out of range for the Dallas channels up here at the border. The OTA channels here did broadcast the games via an agreement but I’m curious as to the going forward plan for both the Mavs & Stars. Getting the sense that MLB may do something with the Rangers where I can just purchase a package and if that’s the direction the Mavs & Stars go then I’m cool with it.

Thunder did something similar with 8 Friday night games. I don’t think the actual Amazon announcement has been made yet for the Thunder but that is the expectation.

 

[Sir Robin Of Camelot]

Thunder did something similar with 8 Friday night games. I don’t think the actual Amazon announcement has been made yet for the Thunder but that is the expectation.

I’ll be curious to see how the Suns plan went (put everything on OTA) and if other teams take that avenue. I’d lean toward the NBA season package but a problem for some of us would be the blackout rules. I did the NHL Center Ice package for one season but the blackout rules prevented me from watching Stars games. That’s kind of an ender. Ideally, Congress would finally do away with that dumb rule.

 

[wildturkey]

Done deal. NBC is getting the rights. TNT is out. Announcement coming any time now. Next season will be the last for Inside The NBA and the TNT crew.

 

[Mebert]

I don't have a problem with Amazon, per se. But if they black me out so i can't get it regardless it's a total dick move.

I pay for NBA league pass, but I do have a policy for when they lock me out of games when I have paid for them.

 

[redskinsfan1963]

as long a its on a channel I get its ok with me.

 

[wildturkey]

So here's some more relevant information. The big thing here is contrary to earlier reports, Amazon will NOT be getting conference Finals. NBC is. Amazon will be getting the In Season Tournament games and some other stuff.

NEW YORK -- The NBA is formalizing written contracts with Disney, NBC and Amazon this week, with sources calling it the final stage of media rights negotiations that may inevitably lead incumbent Warner Bros. Discovery to take legal action.
Industry sources believe ESPN will ultimately pay $2.8B annually -- up from a reported $2.6B -- for the league's "A" package, which includes the NBA Finals, a conference final, weekly primetime games, the WNBA and likely shared international rights. NBC's proposed "B" package is believed to be now worth $2.6B annually -- up from a reported $2.5B -- and would probably include a "Basketball Night in America" on Sunday nights following the NFL season, a total of two primetime windows a week, conference semifinals and a conference final. Amazon's deal is believed to be worth between $1.8B and $2B and would likely include the Emirates In-Season Tournament, the SoFi Play-In Tournament, first-round playoff games, the WNBA and international rights.
The final tweaks -- which sources said have been fluid and changing almost every other day -- are expected to be finalized in the coming days or week, at which time sources said all three networks will go to their respective boards to have the written bids ratified. At that point, sources said the league will take NBC's contract to WBD to see if WBD CEO David Zaslav is able to match it in "total value."
Considering WBD is $40B in debt and does not have the over-the-air infrastructure of NBC, sources believe WBD would need to pay more than $2.6B to match the deal and that NBC's overall bid could be structured in a way (for example, multiple weekly over-the-air games) that makes it virtually impossible for WBD to equal. Sources said Zaslav would then essentially have three choices: pass on the NBA, drastically overpay for the "B" package or take the NBA to court over the definition of a match.
In that event, sources said the league will contend a match is not dollar-for-dollar and that, specifically, a match would need to include the same ad revenue, broadcast windows, etc. -- something WBD apparently disagrees with. Sources said the NBA is prepping its lawyers for a possible inquisition or lawsuit.
It is also becoming clearer how WBD reached this perilous point in negotiations. During Disney's and WBD's exclusive negotiating window from mid-March to April 22, industry sources said Disney was firm about not letting the "A" package go on the open market. So it doubled its old rights fee of $1.4B annually to $2.8B.
But those same sources said Zaslav -- whose company paid $1.2B for NBA media rights a decade ago -- believed he would only have to pay between $1.8B and $2.1B to retain the "B" package this time around and refused to double to $2.4B. That is why the bidding ventured into the marketplace and why NBC leaped in. If WBD does, in fact, lose the NBA, 2024-25 will be its final season under the current deal.

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

Done deal. NBC is getting the rights. TNT is out. Announcement coming any time now. Next season will be the last for Inside The NBA and the TNT crew.

That group of guys on Inside the NBA will get another gig very very fast. Probably by NBC or Amazon or something. And no doubt they'll get a pay rise too.

 

[wildturkey]

That group of guys on Inside the NBA will get another gig very very fast. Probably by NBC or Amazon or something. And no doubt they'll get a pay rise too.

Amazon is gonna have to build an NBA infrastructure from scratch. I bet much of the TNT crew, I'm talking all the technical people behind the scenes not just on air talent, will migrate over there. I'd also venture to guess one of these companies is gonna throw fat stacks to bring over the entire Inside crew. It's too popular and important to the NBA culture to just let it die.

The tricky thing though is gonna be Ernie Johnson. He's contracted to Turner Sports long term and has said in the past that he doesn't really want to leave because he wants to work out of Atlanta (family reasons, health, etc). So even if he is willing to go somewhere else, the new company will still have to negotiate a buyout with Turner Sports to get him

 

[bksballer89]