TNT loses NBA media rights after league rejects offer, enters deal with Amazon

It's official  — TNT Sports will lose the media rights to the NBA after next season.

On Wednesday, the NBA announced it has entered "a long-term arrangement with Amazon" after Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of TNT Sports, failed to match the terms of Amazon Prime Video's offer.

"We are grateful to Turner Sports for its award-winning coverage of the NBA," the league said in a statement praising TNT, home to "Inside the NBA," an Emmy award-winning studio show that features Ernie Johnson Jr., Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal. "(We) look forward to another season of the NBA on TNT."

Earlier this month, USA TODAY Sports reported that the NBA finalized a combined 11-year media rights deal with Disney (ABC/ESPN), NBC and Amazon worth approximately $76 billion – $6.9 billion per season – that will begin with the 2025-26 season and run through the 2035-36 season.

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On Monday, TNT Sports invoked a matching clause in its current contract with the NBA, which ends after the 2024-25 season, in a last-ditch effort to "allow fans to keep enjoying our unparalleled coverage, including the best live game productions in the industry and our iconic studio shows and talent." However, the NBA rejected TNT Sports' offer on Wednesday, saying, "Warner Bros. Discovery’s most recent proposal did not match the terms of Amazon Prime Video’s offer."

TNT Sports took issue with the NBA's action.

"We have matched the Amazon offer, as we have a contractual right to do, and do not believe the NBA can reject it," TNT Sports said in a statement. "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.' ”

TNT was reportedly aiming to take over Amazon's "C" package estimated at $1.8 billion, which includes a conference final every other year, weekly broadcast rights, WNBA rights and early round playoff game broadcasts, according to reports in Front Office Sports confirmed by USA TODAY. 

The Amazon contract included, according to The Sports Business Journal, a "poison pill" where the value of the first three years — approximately $5.85 billion — of the deal would be placed in escrow. The Journal reported that WBD, the parent company of TNT Sports, would be able to cover the cost.

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“Throughout these negotiations, our primary objective has been to maximize the reach and accessibility of our games for our fans," the NBA said. "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."

Earlier this month, Barkley, who has served as an analyst on "Inside the NBA" since 2000, doubled down on his decision to retire from TV after TNT's contract ends following the 2024-25 season. He said he "really feels bad for everybody at TNT."

"The main reason I was talking about next year being my last year – I wouldn't feel comfortable going to work for another network," said Barkley, 61. "It'll be 25 years that I've been working with Turner, and I love everybody at Turner, but at this age to go and start over, I don't know if I want to do that."

Contributing: James Powel

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