Warner Bros. Discovery feels it has the right to keep some of its hoop dreams.
The company pushed back on the idea that the NBA could keep it out of the next round of rights deals, unveiling new 11-year deals with Disney, Amazon and NBCUniversal on Wednesday and saying it had the right to stay in court.
“We matched Amazon’s offer because we have the contractual right to do so, and we do not believe the NBA can reject it. In doing so, they are turning away the many fans who continue to express their continued support for our best-in-class reporting, delivered across the entire combined reach of WBD’s video-first distribution platforms – including TNT, home of our four-decade partnership with the league and Max, our leading streaming service,” Warner said in a statement. “We believe they have seriously misinterpreted our contractual rights regarding the 2025-2026 season and beyond, and we will take appropriate action. However, we look forward to another great season of the NBA on TNT and Max, including our iconic ‘InSlook at the NBA.’”
There is widespread expectation that Warner Bros. Discovery will take the NBA to court to assert its rights to keep a package already awarded to Amazon. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has told employees that a lawsuit is likely, according to people familiar with these discussions.
However, Warner will have to deal with harsh optics. For more than thirty years, the media company and the league were the closest partners. Warner even helped manage the NBA’s digital platforms and the NBA cable network. To win back a smaller share of the rights now, Warner will have to wage a legal war against a former partner who is eager to move on to new teammates.
Warner executives had hoped to release a small “fourth pack” of games, presumably from the inventory allocated to ESPN and ABC; Amazon; and NBC and Peacock.
The company has reason to fight. The loss of NBA games will shrink the business of TNT, the main cable company. Cable and satellite distributors would no doubt see the absence of these games as a reason to call for a reduction in distribution fees, even as Warner has signed a series of new rights deals with properties like the French Open and NASCAR, and signed an agreement to show two CFP games assigned to ESPN.
The league and its new trio of partners are moving forward as if there is no obstacle to their basketball plans. Within minutes of the NBA announcing its new rights plans, Amazon posted a promotional banner on its homepage: NBA Coming to Prime 2025.”