The NBA has made a groundbreaking move by agreeing to a new national television deal with the Walt Disney Company, NBC Universal, and Amazon. The 11-year agreement, valued at a staggering $76 billion, sets the stage for a transformative era in NBA broadcasting.
A New Era of Broadcasting
The new deal will commence in the 2025-26 season and run through the 2035-36 season. This comes as the current nine-year, $24 billion deal nears its expiration at the end of the 2024-25 season. The significant increase in the deal’s value underscores the NBA's rising prominence and the growing market for sports entertainment.
"Throughout these negotiations, our primary objective has been to maximize the reach and accessibility of our games for our fans," the NBA stated. The league's partnership with Amazon highlights this commitment by integrating broadcast, cable, and streaming options through the new agreements with Disney and NBCUniversal.
Distribution Details
ABC and ESPN will maintain their strong presence, continuing to air NBA Finals games. Over the next 11 years, ABC/ESPN will broadcast one of the two conference finals series in 10 out of the 11 years, with Christmas Day games and marquee Saturday and Sunday regular-season matchups also remaining on their platforms. Additionally, ABC/ESPN will televise approximately 18 games in the first two rounds of the postseason each year.
NBC will also play a crucial role in the new deal, covering one of the conference finals series in six of the 11 years. Beyond this, NBC will provide extensive coverage of the All-Star Game, NBA All-Star Saturday night, opening night, and Sunday night primetime games. NBC and/or Peacock will broadcast around 28 games in the first two rounds of the playoffs every season.
Amazon’s Prime Video platform will stream one of the conference finals series in six out of the 11 years. Prime Video is also set to carry NBA Cup games and Play-In Tournament games, along with streaming about one-third of the first and second postseason rounds each year. This marks a significant shift towards the inclusion of digital streaming in major sports broadcasting.
Farewell to Turner Sports
Notably absent from the new agreement is Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns TNT. Turner first began broadcasting NBA games in 1989 and has since become synonymous with the league through its popular pre- and post-game show, "Inside the NBA," since 1990. The upcoming season is expected to be the last for "Inside the NBA" in its current form.
"We are grateful to Turner Sports for its award-winning coverage of the NBA and look forward to another season of the NBA on TNT," the NBA expressed, signaling the end of a significant chapter in its broadcasting history.
Economic Implications
The new deal is set to significantly boost the NBA’s revenues, increasing its annual national media income by roughly 2.6 times. This is the most substantial leap since the 2016 TV deal. With the league instituting a rule that the salary cap cannot increase by more than 10% per year, it is expected that the salary cap will rise by this maximum each year starting in the 2025 offseason.
Forbes estimates that the combined earnings of the 30 NBA teams were approximately $10.6 billion in 2023, with national television revenue being the largest contributor to this figure. Consequently, franchise values and player salaries are poised to soar under the new deal.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver remarked, "Our new global media agreements with Disney, NBCUniversal and Amazon will maximize the reach and accessibility of NBA games for fans in the United States and around the world. These partners will distribute our content across a wide range of platforms and help transform the fan experience over the next decade."
This monumental deal highlights the NBA's intent to innovate and expand its audience reach. As the landscape of sports broadcasting continues to evolve, the NBA is positioning itself at the forefront, ensuring that fans remain connected to the game they love through diverse and accessible platforms.