The NBA’s Board of Governors has given the green light to the league’s forthcoming media rights deals with Disney, NBC, and Amazon Prime Video at their meeting held on Tuesday, taking the league a significant step closer to locking in the 11-year agreements totaling approximately $76 billion. The next crucial phase involves Warner Bros. Discovery possibly matching one of the deals within five days to prolong their long-standing relationship with the NBA dating back to the late 1980s. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver refrained from specifying when the five-day window would commence, citing the ongoing process.
Silver noted that the negotiations aimed to fulfill certain economic goals and enhance fan engagement through increased broadcast exposure and streaming connectivity. The new agreements, scheduled to kick off in the 2025-26 season, would maintain the NBA’s presence on ESPN and ABC while integrating NBC and Amazon. These deals are poised to surpass previous records in both duration and value. The league prioritized ensuring global accessibility to games via various streaming services in the new agreements.
The framework of the anticipated deals has begun to take shape, with ESPN and ABC retaining the NBA Finals and one conference finals series, along with numerous regular season games. NBC is set to return as a broadcast partner, showcasing Sunday night games post the NFL season, Tuesday matchups during the regular season, and streaming Monday night games on Peacock. Amazon Prime Video will broadcast games on Thursday nights after its NFL coverage, with additional nights on Friday and Saturday. NBC and Prime Video will alternate coverage of the other conference final.
Adjustments to the in-season tournament’s group play tiebreaker system, now known as the Emirates NBA Cup, have been introduced. Overtime scoring has been eliminated from determining point differentials and total points tiebreakers, aiming to avoid controversial outcomes witnessed in the past. The one-year trial of in-game flopping penalties has now become a permanent rule, with offending players receiving a technical foul and the opposing team awarded a free throw. The league continues to consider potential expansion once current agreements are finalized.
NBA fans eagerly anticipate the implementations and impact of these transformative media rights agreements on their viewing experience in the years to come.