NBA and Warner Bros. Discovery Resolve Lawsuit and Finalize International Rights Agreement.
The NBA and Warner Bros. Discovery have come to a resolution regarding their lawsuit, establishing a new international rights agreement. This 11-year multiplatform partnership aims to enhance the promotion of NBA content while granting some international game rights. Additionally, ESPN and ABC will broadcast the popular TNT Sports-produced show, "Inside the NBA."
This new arrangement extends the NBA's media collaboration with WBD for another 11 years, although it does not include live game rights on TNT within the U.S. The deal encompasses various elements designed to boost the league's content and foster the global expansion of TNT Sports, along with its Bleacher Report and House of Highlights brands.
Key features of the agreement include increased digital access to NBA highlights, a comprehensive package of live game rights for international markets, and a strengthened NBA Digital partnership with TNT Sports. WBD will also maintain operations of the NBA TV cable channel in the U.S. In a related announcement, it was revealed that TNT Sports will continue producing the beloved "Inside the NBA" studio show for ESPN and ABC, starting in 2025. David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, expressed enthusiasm about the agreements, stating that they will ensure fans can keep enjoying "Inside the NBA" while significantly enhancing the value of their entire portfolio as they work to grow TNT Sports, Bleacher Report, House of Highlights, and their global sports initiatives.
He emphasized the importance of the partnership with the NBA and Disney/ESPN in securing long-term rights and revenue for WBD.
Earlier this year, WBD missed out on securing a new round of NBA game rights set to begin in 2025 and subsequently filed a lawsuit against the league, claiming its right of first refusal on a new television deal. The management at WBD faced significant backlash for how they handled the negotiations for the NBA rights, which had been under the stewardship of TNT Sports (formerly Turner Sports) since 1984.
Throughout that period, TNT Sports garnered over 190 nominations for Sports Emmy Awards and won 45 for its exceptional NBA coverage. Since 2009, TNT Sports and the NBA have collaborated on NBA Digital, which encompasses the league’s media assets. The new agreement grants TNT Sports and its associated brands a global license to create, produce, and distribute both new and existing NBA content across their platforms.
This deal also includes enhanced global content and highlight rights for TNT Sports, Bleacher Report, and House of Highlights, allowing them to produce and share NBA content throughout the WBD portfolio, along with significant promotional, sales, and creative commitments across both NBA and WBD platforms. Additionally, a separate agreement with ESPN stipulates that TNT Sports will produce the renowned studio show “Inside the NBA,” a 21-time Emmy winner featuring host Ernie Johnson Jr. and panelists Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith, for airing on ESPN and ABC starting in the 2025-26 season during the regular season and NBA playoffs. TNT Sports will also continue to create new content for its WBD platforms featuring the “Inside the NBA” studio talent, including a new show titled “Inside Sports” that is currently in development for the upcoming season.
TNT Sports is set to sublicense a selection of Big 12 Conference college football games (13 each season) and men’s college basketball games (15 each season) starting in 2025, as part of the agreement between WBD and ESPN. This follows TNT Sports’ earlier deal to sublicense two first-round College Football Playoff games from ESPN, beginning this December. Moreover, WBD has secured live NBA game broadcasting rights in the Nordics (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden), as well as in Poland and Latin America (excluding Brazil and Mexico) for the next 11 years.
As part of this arrangement, WBD will offer extensive reach, local-language commentary, and promotional opportunities for the NBA’s marketing partners. NBA commissioner Adam Silver expressed enthusiasm, stating, “The chance to continue the iconic and Emmy Award-winning Inside the NBA is a tremendous win for basketball fans everywhere. We are excited to strengthen our long-standing partnership with TNT Sports and collaborate on promoting NBA content across key WBD and NBA platforms.”
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Additionally, WBD announced that its agreement with the NBA includes a new global license for digital platforms Bleacher Report and House of Highlights, granting extensive rights to content and highlights, as well as game access for producing NBA-related content. Both Bleacher Report and House of Highlights will receive significant promotion across NBA assets, and the NBA will create a dedicated section within its digital products (like the NBA App and NBA.com) to showcase basketball-related content produced by B/R, HoH, and TNT Sports.
The agreement also revitalizes and extends the NBA Digital partnership between the NBA and TNT Sports for five seasons, allowing the NBA to engage WBD for promotion and a range of services, including production, content development, and sales operations. WBD will also serve as a strategic promotional partner for NBA League Pass, helping to boost its visibility through promotions on B/R, HoH, and other WBD digital platforms acquisition. Furthermore, promotions for NBA assets and programs will be featured on WBD's linear channels and digital platforms.
