JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Report: Amazon Prime Secures Broadcast Rights for NBA; Expected to Last Ten Years
NBA and Amazon Prime Video set to revolutionize sports media with a groundbreaking deal, reshaping the viewing experience for fans.
A recent development has revealed that Amazon Prime Video and the NBA have reached an agreement, positioning the streaming and retail giant as a significant platform for game telecasts. The NBA's upcoming media rights deal has been a topic of speculation for some time as the league's contracts with ESPN and TNT are set to expire after the 2024-25 season.
As reported by The Athletic's Andrew Marchand, Amazon's deal is slated to commence from the 2025-26 season and is expected to span at least 10 years. Additionally, Prime Video's package will encompass regular season and postseason games, with the potential inclusion of conference finals in the future. Furthermore, there is the possibility of global rights to NBA broadcasts being incorporated into the agreement.
However, with the NBA's groundbreaking deal, the league remains firm on its narrative to make the game easy to stream through a unified subscription-based platform.
Not to forget moving forward, the landscape of sports broadcasting is currently seeing major players like ESPN, Amazon, and the NBA finalizing deals, leaving TNT Sports in the spotlight. TNT has been the home of NBA games since 1984 and now faces stiff competition from NBC, the former primary NBA partner until 2002. NBC, along with its streaming platform Peacock, is eager to re-enter the fray and is going head-to-head with Warner Bros. Discovery Sports in negotiations for a new partnership. 
Also Read: When Vince Carter Sent Mavericks to NBA Playoffs With Buzzer-Beater 3-Pointer 10 Years Ago
There Has Been a Lot of Mud for NBA Broadcasting Rights
In the midst of these negotiations, the ESPN/ABC network is on the verge of securing a renewed agreement, maintaining their prized "A package" of NBA games. ESPN's plan to curtail the number of games they air sets the stage for a new television partner to enter the NBA broadcasting arena.
This development has brought into focus the pivotal question of whether the broadcast rights will persevere with TNT or pivot towards NBC, a network long absent from NBA broadcasting but now vying to integrate NBA content into its streaming platform, Peacock, albeit facing potential precedence concerns due to the league's recent alignment with Amazon.
On another front, Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of TNT, holds the prerogative to match any incoming deal, as detailed by sources from The Wall Street Journal. The potential loss of NBA broadcasts could pose a substantial blow to TNT’s primetime schedule, given their extensive history of NBA game coverage dating back to 1984 with TNT and TBS.
Simultaneously, Amazon's strategic intentions to introduce NBA games into their Thursday night streaming lineup could offer a fresh alternative for viewers and potentially play a balancing act with their anticipated loss of regular-season NFL broadcasts.
Latest Articles
