NBA Media Rights Up in the Air as Contract Negotiations Expire: ESPN and TNT Have Right to Match Any New Deals

The NBA’s negotiations with ESPN and TNT for media rights expired last night. As a result, incumbents ESPN and TNT have the opportunity to match any new deal the league may strike with a third party. According to a source familiar with the existing contract terms, this means that if the NBA decides to bring in a third party like Amazon or NBC/Peacock for a streaming package, ESPN or TNT would have the right to match that deal. Similarly, if another company like NBC were to try to take over an existing linear TV deal held by ESPN or TNT, those incumbents would also have the right to match that deal.

Despite no formal agreement being reached before the window closed, discussions are still ongoing between the NBA, Disney, and Warner Bros. Discovery regarding their media deals. Before the negotiating window closed, there were reports that the NBA and ESPN/TNT were close to reaching a new deal, with both sides being 75% of the way there when the period opened last month.

The NBA is looking to potentially alter how it delivers games in new media deals, which could involve partnerships with streaming services or changes to existing TV deals. The league’s media rights are highly coveted, and the outcome of these negotiations could have a significant impact on how fans consume NBA games in the future.