Over the offseason, the NBA announced that it would be taking on Amazon’s services after rejecting TNT’s $1.8 billion offer for the next broadcasting rights deal. With the departure from TNT, the NBA was all set to lose the beloved Inside The NBA show featuring Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson.
That said, it seems that we may not have seen the last of the Inside crew. Inside the NBA entered the 2024-25 NBA season in its farewell tour, with Amazon set to take over from TNT next season.
The Wall Street Journal’s Joe Flint reported that Warner Bros. Discovery (formerly Turner Sports) and Disney have reached a deal. This will allow Disney to license the Inside the NBA show for broadcast on ESPN and ABC.
This would mean that the fan-favorite duo of O’Neal and Barkley will continue to be on the air, despite Barkley’s cheeky comments about ‘being fired.‘ And that’s not all. Hardcore NBA fans will now be able to see their favorite show on primetime television, even after the conclusion of this NBA season.
The deal between Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery will see the Inside the NBA show being broadcast on both networks going forward, even though Turner Sports and TNT will not have the NBA’s broadcasting rights next season.
Warner Bros. Discovery settles legal feud with NBA
Saturday marked a major day in the future of the broadcasting rights of the NBA. For months, the NBA and Warner Bros. Discovery had been caught up in a legal feud, with the latter claiming that the NBA’s decision to move on to Amazon for their broadcasting rights deal had been unfaithful of their contract.
However, after their new agreement with Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery also settled their feud with the NBA. The two agreed on a deal that would allow the company to air NBA content on their Bleacher Report and House of Highlights platforms.
The deal would also allow them to distribute games in other global regions, such as Northern Europe and parts of Latin America, excluding Brazil and Mexico. With the return of Inside the NBA for more seasons and Warner Bros. Discovery retaining some of its distribution rights, the future of the league seems to be headed in the right direction
Even though the NBA has suffered from viewership issues, their new deals will allow them to take on a new broadcast partner in Amazon while retaining their golden eggs in O’Neal and Barkley. It seems like a win-win situation for all the parties.
