Warner Bros. Discovery, NBA settle with new deal; ‘Inside the NBA’ to ABC: Reports
Warner Brothers Discovery is back in the game when it comes to the NBA. Though the company will no longer be airing games on its TNT network after this season, The Wall Street Journal and other outlets report the two sides have come to an agreement to keep NBA programming in the Warner Bros. family.
The reports said the new deal will settle Warner Brothers Discovery’s breach of contract lawsuit, which it filed against the league after the NBA signed rights deals with Disney’s ESPN, Comcast’s NBC, and Amazon.
This 11-year agreement will see NBA content remain on Warner Bros. Discovery’s digital platforms Bleacher Report and House of Highlights. It also gives Warner Brothers Discovery the right to distribute games overseas in places such as northern Europe and parts of Latin America, excluding Mexico and Brazil.
Reports said Warner Brothers Discovery also struck a deal with Disney to license its popular TNT show “Inside the NBA,” featuring former-players-turned-commentators Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley starting next season. The show will air throughout the season on ABC and ESPN.
The deals are expected to be officially announced this week.
Biden allows Ukraine to strike Russia with long-range US missiles
With North Korea entering the war, the Biden administration is now allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles inside Russia. And President-elect Donald Trump returned to New York for a UFC showdown this weekend while also making more presidential picks. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Monday, Nov. 18, 2024.
Biden allows Ukraine to strike Russia with long-range US missiles
It’s been nearly three years since Russia invaded Ukraine, and while the U.S. has supported Ukraine since the start, President Joe Biden is now easing limitations on how U.S.-supplied weapons can be used.
The policy shift comes as President Biden’s time in office winds down and President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to limit U.S. support for Ukraine. Trump has also promised to quickly put an end to the war with Russia but has yet to say how.
Biden’s decision comes as Russia unleashed a barrage of its own missiles in Ukraine Sunday, Nov. 17. Ukrainian authorities said 10 people, including two children, were killed and dozens injured in a Russian strike on a residential building in Sumy, near the Russian border.
Earlier in the day, Russia launched its largest attack against Ukraine since August, once again targeting power plants and energy infrastructure across the country. Ukrainian authorities said at least five people were killed in those strikes.
On the social site Telegram, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said about 120 missiles and 90 drones were fired into the country, with Ukrainian air defenses downing more than 140 targets.
Israeli strike in Beirut kills Hezbollah’s top spokesman
An Israeli strike on a neighborhood in Beirut killed Hezbollah’s top spokesman, according to the militant group.
Mohammed Afif was an adviser to the late Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, whom Israel killed in an attack on Beirut in September. Afif had been responsible for Hezbollah’s media relations since 2014.
Lebanon’s health ministry said no evacuation warning was issued before the strike, which happened in the middle of the day, and four people were killed.
🔴ELIMINATED: Chief Propagandist and Spokesperson of Hezbollah, Mohammed Afif
Afif was a senior Hezbollah military operative, in contact with senior officials and directly involved in advancing and executing Hezbollah’s terrorist activities against Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces said it carried out a “precise, intelligence-based strike” that “eliminated the terrorist Mohammed Afif, the chief propagandist and spokesperson of the Hezbollah terrorist organization.”
Trump attends UFC event in New York City, makes more picks for 2nd term
Over the weekend, President-elect Trump returned to Madison Square Garden to see the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s pay-per-view event. It was the first time Trump was back at the New York City venue since his rally last month and he received roaring applause from the UFC crowd Saturday night, Nov. 16, including chants of “USA!”
Trump was joined by friend and UFC President Dana White, as well as some of the names he’s recently picked to join his administration, including Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Tulsi Gabbard. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and Trump’s oldest sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, were also in attendance.
The president-elect also shook hands with Joe Rogan, one of the commentators for the event. Trump was a guest on Rogan’s podcast in the days leading up to the election.
Trump’s weekend also involved filling more key positions in his administration, including nominating Chris Wright to lead the Department of Energy. Wright is the chief executive of Liberty Energy, a Denver, Colorado based fracking company.
He also picked current FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr to be the agency’s chairman. Carr recently made headlines after claiming Vice President Kamala Harris’ appearance on Saturday Night Live violated FCC rules.
More nominations from the president-elect are expected to come this week.
Biden becomes first sitting president to visit Amazon rainforest
President Biden made history Sunday, Nov. 17, becoming the first sitting president to visit the Amazon rainforest.
While there, Biden met indigenous leaders and visited a museum at the gateway to the amazon. He also toured the drought-shrunken waters of the Amazon River’s greatest tributary and signed a U.S. proclamation designating Nov. 17 International Conservation Day, highlighting his commitment to the preservation of the region.
He also touched on concerns the incoming Trump administration might change U.S. climate policy.
“It’s no secret that I’m leaving office in January,” Biden said. “I will leave my successor and my country in a strong foundation to build on if they choose to do so.”
Today I issued an official proclamation to support the conservation of nature around the world.
That was the most that Biden publicly referenced President-elect Trump during his South American tour.
The transition was briefly mentioned during Chinese president Xi Jinping’s remarks on Saturday, Nov. 16 during his final meeting with Biden. While he also did not mention Trump by name, Xi appeared to signal his concern over what the new administration could mean for China’s relationship with the U.S. During his campaign, Trump promised to levy 60% tariffs on Chinese imports.
Reports: WBD, NBA settle with 11-year deal; ‘Inside the NBA’ to air on ABC
Warner Brothers Discovery is back in the game when it comes to the NBA. Though the company will no longer be airing games on its TNT network after this season, the Wall Street Journal and other outlets report the two sides have come to an agreement to keep NBA programming in the Warner Bros. family.
The reports said the new deal will settle Warner Brothers Discovery’s breach of contract lawsuit, which it filed against the league after the NBA signed rights deals with Disney’s ESPN, Comcast’s NBC, and Amazon.
This 11-year agreement will see NBA content remain on Warner Bros. Discovery’s digital platforms Bleacher Report and House of Highlights. It also gives Warner Brothers Discovery the right to distribute games overseas in places such as northern Europe and parts of Latin America, excluding Mexico and Brazil.
Reports said Warner Brothers Discovery also struck a deal with Disney to license its popular TNT show “Inside the NBA,” featuring former-players-turned-commentators Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley starting next season. The show will air throughout the season on ABC and ESPN.
The deals are expected to be officially announced this week.
Netflix says 60 million households tuned in live for Tyson vs. Paul
Netflix also said 50 million households watched the co-main event that saw Katie Taylor retain her championship against Amanda Serrano. The streaming giant said that would make it the most-watched professional women’s sporting event in United States history.
Netflix said more information, like total viewers, will be released later this week.
Netflix’s future live sporting events will include NFL games on Christmas Day and WWE weekly programming starting next year.
NBA wants to play on Team Amazon. Will TNT take fight to the court?
The battle over the National Basketball Association’s broadcast rights looks like it is headed to court. On Wednesday, July 24, the league rejected TNT’s bid to match Amazon Prime Video’s $1.8 billion offer.
It’s been quite a bit of back and forth over the last 10 days. On Tuesday, July 16, the NBA’s Board of Governors approved a massive 11-year, $76 billion deal for its media rights with Disney, Amazon and NBC.
Thefollowingday, the league provided the details of the deal to its longtime partner TNT Sports and its parent company Warner Bros. Discovery. According to the previous broadcast deal, Warner had five days to match one of the offers.
On Monday, the network did just that and challenged Amazon’s bid, which offered hope for fans who love TNT’s NBA coverage and its studio show “Inside the NBA.” But the league rejected the offer on Wednesday.
“Warner Bros. Discovery’s most recent proposal did not match the terms of Amazon Prime Video’s offer and, therefore, we have entered into a long-term arrangement with Amazon,” the NBA said in a statement.
It appears the sticking point is the league’s move into streaming.
“Throughout these negotiations, our primary objective has been to maximize the reach and accessibility of our games for our fans,” NBA’s statement said. “Our new arrangement with Amazon supports this goal by complementing the broadcast, cable and streaming packages that are already part of our new Disney and NBCUniversal arrangements. All three partners have also committed substantial resources to promote the league and enhance the fan experience.”
Back in June, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was adamant that streaming would be an important part of the next deal. While details of the Warner match weren’t made public, it’s been speculated that it included games streamed on Max. TNT Sports and Warner believe they have met the requirements.
“We have matched the Amazon offer, as we have a contractual right to do, and do not believe the NBA can reject it,” TNT Sports said in a press release Wednesday. “We think they have grossly misinterpreted our contractual rights with respect to the 2025-2026 season and beyond, and we will take appropriate action.”
“The NBA was obviously advised by their high-powered lawyers that TNT did not match, perhaps due to a cable company having no ability to match a streaming service,” Andrew Brandt, a former professional sports executive and executive director of the Jeffery S. Moorad Center for the Study of Sports Law, told Straight Arrow News in an email. “As with everything, it comes down to the contract: did it address that TNT would have no ability to match a streaming service? Or did it not? In this case, it is not about the lawyers in the dispute; it is about the lawyers who drafted the ‘match.’”
Still in the game: TNT matches Amazon’s $1.8 billion NBA offer
Warner Bros. Discovery is trying to make a fourth-quarter comeback. The company announced it matched Amazon’s $1.8 billion-per-year bid to continue carrying NBA games on TNT after the 2024-2025 season.
On July 16, the NBA’s board of governors approved an 11-year, $76 billion TV deal that included Disney, NBC and Amazon. The deal begins with the 2025-2026 season and would mark the league’s push toward streaming options.
“[Streaming] allows for tremendous additional functionality while watching games,” Commissioner Adam Silver said in June ahead of game one of the NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics. “Personalization, customization of games, multiple feeds, multiple dialects, multiple languages, different camera angles; it really gives the fan enormous additional choice that you don’t have through traditional television.”
During negotiations, the price tag seemed to keep getting bigger with the expanded media landscape due to streaming and a limited number of available partners.
“It just shows how valuable prime real estate is in the sports world, and especially when you had two companies, Amazon Prime and NBC on the outside, wanting to get in,” former Fox Sports President Bob Thompson told Straight Arrow News in June when the $76 billion number was just a rumor. “And then you combine that with the fact that ESPN obviously wanted to maintain their position, maintain the finals for ABC [and] have enough content for their purported direct-to-consumer offering of ESPN.”
Stipulations from the previous media rights deal allows Warner Bros. and TNT Sports five days to submit a matching offer after being provided the details of the new contract. TNT Sports announced they did so on Monday, July 22.
“We have reviewed the offers and matched one of them,” TNT Sports said in a statement. “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.”
The “iconic” studio show has been a major part of discussions around the future of NBA broadcasts. “Inside the NBA” has been a staple for basketball fans for years. Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neil, Kenny “the Jet” Smith and anchor Ernie Johnson became must-see TV.
Silver spoke about the importance of “Inside the NBA” and the possibility of TNT losing the NBA during that June press conference.
“It has been difficult,” Silver said. “That show, in particular, is special. And I have a close relationship with everyone who’s on that show from the time they played in the league, and Ernie [Johnson] and I have been friends forever.”
Questions about the show’s future prompted sports media to wonder whether another network would pick up the “Inside the NBA” crew. But Barkley made a surprise announcement following game four of the NBA Finals.
🚨 Charles Barkley: "I ain't going nowhere other than TNT. But, I have made the decision the myself- no matter what happens, next year is going to be my last year on television… I'm not going to another network… Next year, I'm going to just retire after 25 years." 🚨 pic.twitter.com/E966rKo7X4
“I’ve talked to all the other networks but I ain’t going nowhere other than TNT,” the Hall of Famer said during a post-game broadcast. “But I have made the decision myself, no matter what happens, next year is going to be my last year on television.”
Warner Bros.’ decision to challenge Amazon’s bid leaves NBC on solid ground, solidifying the return of NBA on NBC for the first time in more than 20 years. And the famous theme song could make a comeback as well.
Rumored $76B NBA TV deal is full of streaming options. Will prices go up?
NBA on NBC could be back after more than two decades. Following months of negotiations, the NBA is close to finalizing a $76 billion, 11-year deal for broadcast rights, according to an exclusive report from the Wall Street Journal.
Here’s how it shakes out, according to the Journal:
NBC would pay about $2.5 billion annually to show roughly 100 games per season. Half of those games would be Peacock exclusives.
Amazon would pay $1.8 billion per year to get in on the action with regular season and playoff games. It would also broadcast the NBA in-season tournament and playoff play-in games.
ABC and ESPN’s parent company Disney would pay $2.6 billion a year, nearly doubling the $1.5 billion it currently pays for ESPN’s portion of the rights. The new deal allows ESPN to have games on its new direct-to-consumer streaming service, which launches in 2025. ESPN would still maintain rights to the NBA Finals.
They’re going to have to grow into these rights fees and the prices. And that means the fees for these streaming services are going to continue to go up.
Bob Thompson, former Fox Sports president
But the most surprising element of the deal for former Fox Sports President Bob Thompson is what’s missing from it.
“For me, it would be the fact that it looks like Warner Bros. Discover may be out after roughly 40 years with the NBA,” Thompson said.
Current NBA partner TNT is noticeably absent from the proposed broadcast rights deal. Warner Bros. Discovery can still come to the table and outbid, but the company is facing more than $40 billion in long-term debt.
Below is an edited Q&A between Straight Arrow News’ Business Corespondent Simone Del Rosario and Thompson. Watch the interview in the video above.
Simone Del Rosario: Is there any chance for an 11th-hour deal with Warner Bros. Discovery?
Bob Thompson: My guess is Warner Bros. is probably waiting to see what the other deals look like. And I’m sure that the NBA is going to make sure those are all buttoned up from a legal standpoint before they give them to Warner Bros. Discovery, who has a right to match some form of a package.
The form of that package is the great unknown. It seems as though the Warner Bros. Discovery package from the past is being split up between Amazon and NBC, so do they have the right to match one, both, or none of them? That is the big question.
I’d be very surprised if the commissioner comes out and announces anything during the NBA playoffs. They just tend not to want to overshadow the games with business. So my guess is we’ve still got another week to 10 days before they even start talking about who’s getting what and finalizing the actual deal.
Simone Del Rosario: What about the sticker price for you? Did you expect $76 billion to be in line with what this kind of rights deal could command?
Bob Thompson: I didn’t think it was going to be quite that big. I thought maybe they get above $6 billion a year and it looks like it’s gonna be closer to $7 billion. It just shows how valuable prime real estate is in the sports world.
You had two companies, Amazon Prime and NBC, on the outside wanting to get in. And then you combine that with the fact that ESPN obviously wanted to maintain their position, maintain the finals for ABC, have enough content for their purported direct-to-consumer offering of ESPN, the main channel that’s coming up next year.
So all those things combined to raise that number to a really astounding number for the NBA, and congratulations to Adam Silver and Bill Koenig if they get it.
Simone Del Rosario: Over at NBC, there’s word of a divide over whether this is a good investment. Do you think that this is just the price to pay to boost streaming subscriptions?
Bob Thompson: I think that’s part of the price to pay. It also provides NBC with prime-time content. They don’t have to go out and develop entertainment programming, it just drops right in there. You get a certain cost. It’s not a hit-and-miss like you go through with the pilot season.
And on the streaming side, for Peacock, one thing that NBC has shown is that if you buy specific content – in their case, it was NFL games – it can be very helpful in driving subscriptions to Peacock that at this point seem to have stuck around, even though the NFL season ended several months ago.
Simone Del Rosario: Does this deal indicate that creative content that streamers are developing is not enough to get subscriptions and now we’re going to see this huge push into live sports?
Bob Thompson: Yeah, I can see that. I think that what they’re probably thinking is that so much of the entertainment aspect and scripted dramas, things like that, have already moved off network television over to the streamers. They probably feel they’ve captured that subset pretty well.
So the next great leap is, how do you get the people who are still in the original cable bundle to get over to the streaming side as well? In many cases, the reason they’re still in the cable bundle is because they want the sports.
One thing I can tell you, though, they’re going to have to grow into these rights fees and the prices, and that means the fees for these streaming services are going to continue to go up. It’s like your cable bill used to increase every year. Your streaming service bills are going to increase every year as well.
Simone Del Rosario: If you were in charge at NBC or Amazon and TNT is out for good, would you encourage those networks to make a play for the “Inside the NBA” crew?
Bob Thompson: Absolutely. I think that is really kind of a insignia show for the NBA. The talent is great. They have a great chemistry. I don’t know if you’re going to be able to get them all to come over, but certainly, Charles Barkley is the ringleader, so to speak, and I think he could probably convince some people to come along with him.
I believe it will be a sought-after product, or certainly sought-after individuals. I would probably give NBC the leg up because they’re going to end up having Sunday night NBA once the NFL Sunday night games are over. And I think it’s a very marquee position for the folks on that show.
Simone Del Rosario: What about the ripple effect this deal is going to have on other leagues? We know the NFL can pull the plug four years early on its broadcast contracts in 2029. Do you think the NFL is definitely going to do that and secure much higher prices?
Bob Thompson: It would not surprise me at all if they open the contract up in a few years. I think it gives them the advantage of jumping ahead of all the college rights deals that come up in the early 2030s. The CFP deal will be coming up again as well. So I think that it would behoove the NFL to get their hand in people’s pockets before others do.
The other thing you have to keep in mind is that, for other properties, Warner Bros. Discovery has a couple of billion dollars in their pocket that they may not be spending on the NBA. You kind of wonder what they might go shopping after. Maybe they go shopping after CBS if this whole Paramount deal comes down and the folks at Skydance and Redbird decide they don’t want to own the broadcast network.