The NBA closed $77 billion deal with Disney, NBCUniversal and Amazon; Warner to take action

The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced the renewal of its partnership with The Walt Disney Company and new agreements with NBCUniversal (NBCU) and Amazon under which ABC/ESPN, NBC/Peacock and Prime Video will telecast NBA games beginning with the 2025-26 season and running through the 2035-36 season. The NBA App will be a universal access point – seamlessly directing fans to every national game on Disney, NBCU and Amazon platforms. The forthcoming agreements are worth $77 billion in total, with ESPN, NBC and Amazon, and are not set to begin until the 2025-26 season.

The new media deals will expand the reach of NBA telecasts, with all national games available on broadly distributed streaming services – Prime Video, Peacock and ESPN’s forthcoming direct-to-consumer service – and with dramatically increased exposure on broadcast television. Approximately 75 regular-season games will be on broadcast TV each season, up from the minimum of 15 games under the current agreement.

“Our new global media agreements with Disney, NBCUniversal and Amazon will maximize the reach and accessibility of NBA games for fans in the United States and around the world,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “These partners will distribute our content across a wide range of platforms and help transform the fan experience over the next decade.”

“We look forward to building upon our incredible legacy of innovation and growth with our longstanding partners at the NBA,” said ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro. “The NBA is a vibrant, ascendant league and through this premium collection of rights, including every NBA Finals on our platforms, we will continue to evolve together while successfully navigating the global digital transition and delivering the highest quality coverage for fans.”

“We are proud to once again partner with the NBA and WNBA, two iconic brands and the home of the best basketball in the world,” said Mike Cavanagh, President of Comcast Corporation. “We look forward to presenting our best-in-class coverage of both leagues with our innovative programming and distribution plan across NBC and Peacock to entertain fans and help grow the game.”

“We are honored that the NBA has entrusted Prime Video to deliver its one-of-a-kind action and excitement to viewers around the world,” said Mike Hopkins, Head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios. “We look forward to continuing to innovate and evolve live sports coverage for our customers, and are fully committed to building an incredible video experience for millions of NBA fans starting in 2025.”

It was reported before that Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) would have the option to match the other offers to retain the rights for the matches in TNT Sports. However, the NBA said WBD’s proposal did not match the terms of Amazon’s offer. It added that its primary objective during media rights negotiations was to “maximize the reach and accessibility of our games for our fans.”

Nonetheless, WBD released a statement, in which TNT Sports said that the NBA “grossly misinterpreted” its contractual rights and said it would take “appropriate action.” The company filed paperwork to exercise its matching rights for one of the packages. “We have matched the Amazon offer, as we have a contractual right to do, and do not believe the NBA can reject it,” the statement read. WBD said it “acted in good faith” during both exclusive and non-exclusive negotiation periods to “present strong bids that were fair to both parties.”

Disney, NBCU and Amazon also secured the right to distribute an unprecedented number of WNBA live game telecasts, with a significant increase in the reach of WNBA games across broadcast, cable and streaming.