Get “Roundball Rock” back in the queue and pour one out for “Inside the NBA.”
The NBA is “closing in” on television deals with NBC, ESPN and Amazon worth $76 billion in media revenue over 11 years, according to The Wall Street Journal.
NBC, which would re-gain the rights to air NBA games for the first time since 2002, is expected to pay $2.5 billion per year with 100 games per season, per the report.
Half of those games are slated to air on the Peacock streaming service, with games set to air on Tuesday and Sunday when there aren’t “Sunday Night Football” commitments.
Amazon will pay $1.8 billion for its package, including regular-season and playoff games, the NBA In-Season Tournament and the Play-In Tournament games, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The global giant would also air a “share” of the conference finals, which are set to be split in rotation.
Disney, which already airs games, will retain its rights for $2.6 billion per year, per the report, an increase form the previous $1.5 billion per year deal.
Its network of channels will air the NBA Finals, but will have less games than its current package.
The agreement will allow games to be aired on its upcoming “direct-to-consumer streaming service” that is set for a 2025 launch, per the report.
Warner Bros. Discover, which owns TNT and “Inside the NBA”, can match the packages, and the NBA could create a new package, although “options are limited”, per the report.
These deals will be instituted after the 2024-25 season.