While the NBA hasn’t announced its new media rights deals with ESPN, NBC, and Prime Video quite yet, details about those new contracts are starting to leak out.
Per the Wall Street Journal, NBC’s $2.5 billion package will include roughly 100 games each season, half of which will be Peacock-exclusive. Other games will air on NBC in primetime on Tuesday and Sunday (during the NFL offseason).
NBC is near an accord with the league to pay an average of $2.5 billion a year, people familiar with the deal talks said. It would show around 100 games per season, with about half airing exclusively on the Peacock streaming service, reflecting a major bet on the future of streaming. Games would air on NBC on Tuesdays and Sundays when there isn’t a conflict with NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.”
The Prime Video package, which costs $1.8 billion annually, includes the in-season tournament, the play-in tournament, and both regular season and playoff games (including sharing the conference finals).
ESPN’s top-tier package for $2.6 billion each season would have fewer regular season games, but the company would retain the NBA Finals.
As for TNT Sports, the company balked at the opportunity to re-up with the NBA for $2.2 billion because it felt the package it would retain lacked value.
Curiously, the WSJ cites deals the company has already signed (including its long-running March Madness pact, its MLB deal, and its NHL deal) along with those newly signed (the NASCAR deal beginning in 2025 and the sublicensing agreement with ESPN for College Football Playoff games) as to where the savings from losing the NBA will go.
About Joe Lucia
I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.