Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Joe Reedy

Warner Bros. Discovery informs NBA it will match Amazon Prime Video's offer to carry games

2020 Getty Images

Support truly
independent journalism

Turner Sports intends to continue its longtime relationship with the NBA.

Warner Bros. Discovery informed the league Monday that it will match the $1.8 billion per year offer by Amazon Prime Video. Turner has had an NBA package since 1984 and games have been on TNT since the network launched in 1988.

“We have reviewed the offers and matched one of them. This will allow fans to keep enjoying our unparalleled coverage, including the best live game productions in the industry and our iconic studio shows and talent, while building on our proven 40-year commitment for many more years,” WBD said in a statement. "Our matching paperwork was submitted to the league today. We look forward to the NBA executing our new contract.”

The NBA’s Board of Governors approved the league’s 11-year media rights deals with Disney, NBC and Amazon Prime Video at its meeting in Las Vegas last Tuesday. WBD received all three contracts on Wednesday, which started the five-day clock for whether it wanted to match.

The new deals — colleectively worth $76 billion — will begin with the 2025-26 season, and include a game being aired or streamed nationally every night during the second half of the season.

The Prime Video package would have had games on Thursday night after it is done carrying NFL games. Its other nights were Friday and Saturday.

TNT would likely carry games on Thursday with the other nights being streamed on Max.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.