In a significant development for the sports media landscape, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has reached a settlement with the NBA, ending its legal battle over U.S. broadcasting rights and marking the conclusion of Turner Sports’ four-decade run as a major NBA broadcaster. The settlement, announced Monday, sees WBD relinquish its bid for a package of live NBA games for the 2025-26 season and beyond, but secures substantial ongoing revenue streams and strategic partnerships that will help it maintain a presence within the NBA ecosystem. The fallout also impacts other broadcasting deals.
Key Takeaways: The End of an Era and a New Beginning
- Warner Bros. Discovery settles its lawsuit against the NBA, ending its pursuit of a live game package for the 2025-26 season and beyond. This concludes a high profile legal battle that impacted the entire sports media and entertainment industry.
- Turner Sports’ 40-year run carrying live NBA games in the U.S. ends after the current season. This is a major shift in the broadcasting landscape, signaling a transition from traditional cable to streaming and digital platforms.
- WBD retains significant NBA content: The settlement includes access to highlights for Bleacher Report and House of Highlights, licensing rights for new and existing content, and live game rights in several international markets, guaranteeing a considerable revenue stream for the company.
- The iconic “Inside the NBA” show will continue, airing on ESPN and ABC, along with production partnerships that extend beyond just live games.
- The NBA’s new media deal, worth approximately $77 billion, spans 11 years and features Disney, Comcast’s NBCUniversal, and Amazon as partners. The deal reflects the shift towards diverse distribution platforms throughout the landscape.
The Settlement Details: A Strategic Retreat with Significant Gains
Warner Bros. Discovery’s lawsuit, filed in July, stemmed from the NBA’s awarding of broadcast rights to Disney, Comcast, and Amazon. WBD argued the league hadn’t allowed them to exercise their supposed “matching rights” for a package of live games. The settlement avoids the uncertainty and potential costs of protracted litigation, clearing the path for all parties to move forward.
A New Kind of Partnership: Production and Content
While losing the live game rights deal was clearly a setback, the terms of the settlement offer WBD a number of important benefits. WBD’s TNT Sports will retain access to NBA highlights for its digital platforms, including Bleacher Report and House of Highlights, for the next 11 years. This ensures continued engagement with NBA fans on the digital platform and the opportunity to capture the younger demographic WBD was previously concerned about losing. The agreement also allows WBD to continue creation and distribution of various new and existing NBA-related content across various platforms.
This isn’t just about highlights though; the deal expands on the partnership between NBA Digital and TNT Sports for five seasons, with the NBA engaging WBD to provide promotion and a range of services, including production, content development, and sales operations. This guarantees a consistent revenue stream for WBD that isn’t directly tied to airing games. Importantly, this is not additional money from the NBA beyond the settlement terms; it’s revenue generated *through* WBD’s services.
The Fate of “Inside the NBA”: A Continuing Success
The future of TNT’s immensely popular studio show, “Inside the NBA,” starring Ernie Johnson Jr., Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal, was a major point of concern. The settlement ensures the show’s survival. It confirms that it will be licensed to Disney’s ESPN and ABC for premier NBA games throughout the regular season and playoffs, including the finals. This arrangement maintains the legacy and broad audience reach of one of the most beloved basketball shows for the foreseeable future.
Editorial Control and Potential Collaboration
While ESPN and ABC will be airing “Inside the NBA”, TNT Sports will retain full editorial control over the show. However, there’s potential for collaboration between existing ESPN talent and the “Inside the NBA” hosts. The success of the program is also in part due to the current roster; however, the agreement has built-in “safeguards” for ESPN to consider if key hosts depart within the duration of their contracts. While exact branding on the show is currently unclear, viewers can expect a similar format and delivery.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver praised the outcome, stating, “The opportunity to continue the iconic and Emmy Award-winning ‘Inside the NBA’ is a huge win for basketball fans everywhere. We look forward to building on our longstanding partnership with TNT Sports and working together to promote NBA content across key WBD and NBA platforms.”
A Broader Context: The Changing Media Landscape and Strategic Partnerships
The settlement is not isolated; it’s part of the larger, shifting landscape of sports media. The NBA’s decision to move away from WBD as a primary live-game partner reflects the league’s focus on reaching younger audiences through both established traditional media partners (Disney/NBCUniversal) and streaming giants (Amazon). The move makes sense in that older demographics are much more likely to still be cable-only; however, the younger generation are less likely to have traditional cable, thus warranting diversification among media partners. This strategy, while upsetting for some, prioritizes long-term growth and adaptability.
Beyond the NBA: Other Agreements and Future Directions
As part of the comprehensive settlement, ESPN has granted TNT the rights to broadcast 13 Big 12 football games and 15 men’s basketball games each season, starting in 2025. This benefits the Big 12 by expanding its reach on linear television, allowing more than just ESPN+ streaming. This reflects several similar sub-licensing deals between ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery, and suggests a more intricate and collaborative relationship than what the legal proceedings initially suggested.
For Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, the settlement prevents an even bigger loss, and ensures several revenue streams that will potentially grow through the partnerships created in the settlement.
Zaslav’s statement highlighted the positive outcomes: “Together these agreements ensure fans will continue to enjoy TNT’s ‘Inside the NBA’ and create tremendous value for our entire portfolio as we accelerate the growth of TNT Sports, Bleacher Report, House of Highlights, and our global sports business.”
Conclusion: A New Chapter in NBA Broadcasting
The resolution of the Warner Bros. Discovery and NBA dispute marks a turning point in the history of NBA broadcasting. While the end of Turner Sports’ long-standing role as a live game carrier signifies the evolving nature of the sports media landscape, the settlement ensures the continuation of iconic programming and the creation of new strategic partnerships. The deal secures revenue streams for Warner Bros. Discovery through production and content creation and demonstrates the potential for collaboration even amidst high-stakes legal battles. The settlement successfully navigates the ongoing shift from traditional cable television towards an online space, proving itself a win, in some capacity, for both parties even in the face of large legal disputes.
