Wait, Warner Bros. Discovery and Amazon Are Spending How Much on an NBA Package?
By Movieguide® Contributor
Warner Bros. Discovery has announced that it will match a bid towards an NBA package.
There was no confirmation as to which bid it is, however, Deadline believes it is Amazon’s $1.8 billion.
Movieguide® previously reported:
Amazon, ABC/ESPN and NBC have signed massive new media rights deals with the NBA, and Warner Bros. Discovery has five days to match or sue.
The next 11 seasons of the NBA will now be shown across ABC/ESPN, NBC and newcomer Amazon, as new deals were worked out with each respective network. Pending approval from the NBA board of governors, all the deals will then be sent to Warner Bros. Discovery. WBD has five days to match any offers or potentially sue.
In a July 22 statement, Warner Bros. Discovery said, “We have reviewed the offers and matched one of them. This will allow fans to keep enjoying our unparalleled coverage, including the best live game productions in the industry and our iconic studio shows and talent, while building on our proven 40-year commitment for many more years. Our matching paperwork was submitted to the league today. We look forward to the NBA executing our new contract.”
The NBA and WBD have been partnered with Turner Sports for over four decades. Now, Max has opened its doors to get in on the action “to match Amazon’s streaming deal with play simulcast on TNT,” Deadline reported.
While those deals and contracts are in the works, the NBA has announced its three other partnerships with Disney/ESPN, NBCUniversal and Amazon Prime Video.
Those contracts span 11 years and total around $76 billion.
“Warner Bros. Discovery and the league were unable to reach a deal during the exclusive negotiating period, which expired in April,” AP News reported.
“We’re proud of how we have delivered for basketball fans by providing best-in-class coverage throughout our four-decade partnership with the NBA. In an effort to continue our long-standing partnership, during both exclusive and non-exclusive negotiation periods, we acted in good faith to present strong bids that were fair to both parties,” WBD said in a statement. “Regrettably, the league notified us of its intention to accept other offers for the games in our current rights package, leaving us to proceed under the matching rights provision, which is an integral part of our current agreement and the rights we have paid for under it.”
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