The NBA is looking for new television suitors following the 2024-2025 season. It is very likely there will be returning faces as well as some new faces when this new era of NBA television approaches.
ESPN, which is owned by Disney, will be looking to keep its media rights with the NBA. Their deal however will be doubling from $1.4 billion to $2.8 billion, according to Front Office Sports. This is not the only company that will be looking to pay the big bucks to have the stars of the NBA playing across their channels.
NBC is looking to take over TNT’s rights. This would not be the first time that NBC has had NBA media rights. Back in the Michael Jordan glory days of the ‘90s, NBC was one of the main providers of the NBA. One of the major benefits of having NBC back will be that it can be showcased on TV for free without fans needing to own cable.
Streaming services are also something that the NBA is looking into. It has been done with Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime, Disney+ broadcasting its own NFL game done in Andy’s room from Toy Story, and the NFL just announced Christmas Day games on Netflix. As of right now, Amazon is looking like the front runner for the streaming services offering $1.8 billion, according to Front Office Sports. This specific deal can be more unique as the NBA may be looking to make Amazon Prime the home of its new in-season tournament that began in the 2023-24 season.
One of the major disappointments of these new TV deals will be the possible ending of one of the best sports related shows according to fans, Inside the NBA which is on TNT. There is hope though that this may be kept. According to Forbes, Charles Barkley believes that there is a chance he can keep the beloved crew together and possibly keep the show broadcasted on his production company, Fine Line Productions, or possibly move to NBC or Amazon who will be purchasing NBA rights without any current analyst show.
The real winner of all this however is the league. In the past ten years since Adam Silver became commissioner, revenues skyrocketed from $4.8 billion in 2014 to $12 billion in 2024, according to Front Office Sports. This can lead to the potential of a greater salary cap for the players and also lead to more innovative ideas that come from the NBA. Some ideas could possibly be expanding the league and working on new international ventures with the growth in revenue.
While it may be unknown as to the exact specifics of who will be partnered with the NBA for media rights, what we do know is that the NBA continues to be one of the most successful sports businesses and will continue to grow in this new climate.