According to sources from Front Office Sports, ESPN and TNT have matching provisions in their media rights deals with the NBA. Even though they didn’t extend their contracts before the exclusive negotiating window closed, both networks have the opportunity to respond to outside bids before finalizing any agreements. This provision includes both streaming and linear rights packages.
The NBA currently earns nearly $2.7 billion annually from its current nine-year, $24 billion deals with ESPN and TNT, which are set to expire at the end of next season. There is a possibility of the annual revenue doubling with the new deals.
The NBA has been associated with WBD since 1984, and ESPN has been a partner for over 20 years. In addition to live sports, ESPN also features significant programming that aids in promoting the league.
