Warner Bros. Discovery Strikes Confident Tone Regarding NBA Rights, But NBC Deal Might Already Be Done (2024)

Warner Bros. Discovery is putting on a brave front over the prospect of seeing NBC steal its package of national NBA games following next season. The company currently offers more than 60 NBA contests each regular season, alongside a host of playoff games on TNT. The NBA’s deal with WBD expires following the 2024-25 season, and it has been negotiating with prospective partners (including WBD) on its next deal for several months. The NBA will split its rights into three packages in the next contract — as opposed to the two in its current agreement with ESPN and TNT — and the last unsold bundle is the package currently belonging to WBD. NBC has been in hot pursuit, but WBD officials reiterated at the company’s upfront presentation this week that they were confident about renewing ties with the Association, and there are seemingly no plans to split the package in two to satisfy both aspirants.

Key Details:

• TNT Sports chief Luis Silberwasser says WBD looks forward to making a sensible agreement with the NBA.
• WBD may sue the league if it feels the matching rights built into its contract with the NBA are not honored.
• Sports insider Bill Simmons has reported that NBC has already secured the package, and speculated the league is waiting until after the playoffs end to make the announcement.

There haven’t been many public updates from WBD since the news first circulated that Comcast had made a $2.5 billion-per-year offer for TNT’s package of NBA rights. But as reported by the Sports Business Journal, speaking at the company’s 2024 upfronts presentations with advertisers, TNT chair Luis Silberwasser said that the company is working with the NBA on “reaching an agreement that makes sense for all parties.”

That confidence could stem from the fact that WBD ostensibly has the right to match any deal the NBA makes with another outlet. However, there has been disagreement from analysts as to whether matching rights will be enough given the circ*mstances. Because of the multiple weekly viewing windows available on the NBC broadcast network that cable channel TNT cannot match, the NBA is reportedly arguing that a simple dollar-for-dollar match on WBD’s part won’t constitute an actual matching offer. If that point is pushed, insiders have said that it could cause WBD to sue to try and keep the NBA on its airwaves.

Some have speculated that the Association might try to divide the TNT package into two separate bundles, hoping to appease both WBD and Comcast. However, SBJ also reports that a split package is not going to happen, and that the league has been swayed by NBC’s status as a broadcast channel, in addition to its ability to offer games on its streamer Peaco*ck. TNT sends its live NBA games to stream simultaneously on Max, but as a cable channel, it does not have the same reach that NBC does; which is increasingly valuable in the fractured streaming environment.

Is the NBA’s Deal with NBC Already Done?

Silberwasser’s words could prove to be no more than whistling in the dark, despite his confidence. Earlier this week, longtime sports analyst and insider Bill Simmons revealed on an episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast” that a pact has already been made between the league and Comcast behind the scenes.

“One of the funniest things ever is that we’re all pretending that the TV deal wasn’t done like a week and a half ago,” Simmons said. “I think it’s done. I think Warner [Bros. Discovery] already lost it. And I don’t know why we’re waiting until after the playoffs, maybe that’s how they have to do it. But it’s a wrap. NBC’s getting it. I’m just telling you.”

The Association reportedly has agreed to deal frameworks with Prime Video and ESPN while still in the midst of the playoffs, though neither deal has been signed or officially announced as of yet. It is likely that the league will announce its new contracts around the NBA Finals next month, as Simmons suggested.

The NBA has gotten exactly what it wanted in this round of deal negotiations: a rights fee increase that more than doubles its previous $2.6 billion-per-year total. The Association stands to make almost $7 billion per season in its new deal, but whether TNT or NBC will be joining Prime Video and ESPN to distribute NBA games in 2025 and beyond remains to be seen.