The NBA is formalizing media rights contracts with ESPN, NBC and Amazon this week with sources telling the Sports Business Journal that it is the final stage of negotiations. Deals with the three providers are expected to return over $7 billion per year for the NBA.
ESPN will pay $2.8 billion annually, which is up from an initially reported $2.6 billion for the NBA’s “A” package. That package includes the NBA Finals, a conference final, weekly primetime games, the WNBA and likely shared international rights.
NBC’s “B” package is believed to be worth $2.6 billion annually would probably include a “Basketball Night in America” on Sunday nights following the NFL season, a total of two primetime windows a week, conference semifinals and a conference final.
Amazon’s deal is believed to be worth between $1.8B and $2B and would likely include the Emirates In-Season Tournament, the SoFi Play-In Tournament, first-round playoff games, the WNBA and international rights.
The final changes to the deals have been fluid and changing, but expected to be finalized in the coming days or week. Once the written bids are ratified, the NBA will take NBC’s contract to Warner Bros. Discovery to see if they can match it in “total value.”
WBD may enact legal action over the rights. It’s believed that the TNT parent company could contest its right to match the NBC deal. The NBA and WBD apparently have different definitions of what matching a deal would consist of.