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NBA announces TNT, Warner Bros. Discovery did not match agreement with Amazon Prime; TNT vows to take 'appropriate action'

The fate of "Inside the NBA" hangs in the balance

jason owens
Staff writer
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SANTA MONICA, CA - JUNE 25: (L-R) Shaquille O'Neal, Ernie Johnson Jr., Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley speak onstage at the 2018 NBA Awards at Barkar Hangar on June 25, 2018 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Turner Sports)
Is this the end of the NBA on TNT? (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Turner Sports)

After TNT announced Monday that it submitted a matching offer to retain its NBA broadcast rights and its intent to continue producing the beloved studio show "Inside the NBA," the NBA responded Wednesday.

The league said in a statement that TNT's parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, did not match the new 11-year, $1.8 billion annual contract the NBA agreed to with Amazon.

"Warner Bros. Discovery's most recent proposal did not match the terms of Amazon Prime Video's offer, and therefore, we have entered into a long-term arrangement with Amazon," the statement reads.

"Throughout these negotiations, our primary objective has been to maximize the reach and accessibility of our games for our fans. Our new arrangement with Amazon supports this goal by complementing the broadcast, cable and streaming packages that are already part of our new Disney and NBCUniversal arrangements. All three partners have also committed substantial resources to promote the league and enhance the fan experience.

"We are grateful to Turner Sports for its award-winning coverage of the NBA and look forward to another season of the NBA on TNT."

TNT Sports issued a response to the NBA on Wednesday afternoon, declaring in a statement that it doesn't "believe the NBA can reject" its offer. It vowed to "take appropriate action."

"We have matched the Amazon offer, as we have a contractual right to do, and do not believe the NBA can reject it," the statement reads. "In doing so, they are rejecting the many fans who continue to show their unwavering support for our best-in-class coverage, delivered through the full combined reach of WBD’s video-first distribution platforms — including TNT, home to our four-decade partnership with the league, and Max, our leading streaming service.

"We think they have grossly misinterpreted our contractual rights with respect to the 2025-26 season and beyond, and we will take appropriate action. We look forward, however, to another great season of the NBA on TNT and Max, including our iconic Inside the NBA.”

What's next isn't clear.

The Athletic's Andrew Marchand reported Monday that TNT was matching the contract the NBA has with Amazon, a deal that the NBA preferred to honor, according to the report. It was expected that the league would decline TNT's offer to claim the rights to the Amazon package, setting up a potential showdown among the three entities, per the report.

TNT has held NBA broadcast rights for 35 years. ESPN, NBC and Amazon all reached deals with the NBA for the next round of broadcast rights starting with the 2025-26 season. Under the leadership of parent company Warner Bros. Discovery and CEO David Zaslav, TNT did not reach a new deal during an exclusive negotiating window, but retained the right to match offers from competing entities, which it enacted on Monday.

With this development, the path is cleared for NBC's return to NBA coverage. NBC previously carried NBA games from 1990-2002. ESPN and ABC will retain the league's primary package that includes NBA Finals coverage.

NBC Sports and Amazon each promoted their new packages shortly after the NBA's Wednesday statement.

Amazon's agreed-upon package with the NBA doesn't directly mirror TNT's existing package. TNT currently carries games on Tuesday and Thursday nights during the regular season, All-Star weekend and playoff games through the Western Conference finals.

Amazon's deal includes the rights to six conference finals over the 11-year life of the deal, the NBA Cup (formerly the in-season tournament), play-in games and Thursday games during the regular season at the conclusion of the streamer's Thursday night NFL coverage.

The NBA's current broadcast deals run through next season, meaning that TNT will continue to carry the league's games through the 2025 Western Conference finals.

Hosted by Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal, "Inside the NBA" is synonymous with the league and esteemed by players and fans alike. Johnson has reportedly said that he won't leave TNT if the network loses NBA rights. Barkley's stance has been a moving target. He's suggested that his own production company could take over the show and vowed to retire from broadcasting at the end of next season in separate statements.

Alongside the NBA's statement Wednesday, the WNBA announced the renewal of its partnerships with Disney and Amazon Prime, plus a new agreement with NBCUniversal. From 2026-36, the three broadcasters will distribute more than 125 regular-season and playoff games nationally.