Warner Bros. has offered to match Amazon’s $1.8 billion annual bid for the television rights to the National Basketball Association, commonly known as the NBA.
Warner Bros., which owns the TNT and TBS networks, has broadcast the NBA for decades. Now, the NBA is about to sign a new deal worth $76 billion for 11 years with current broadcaster ESPN and two new partners: NBC and Amazon. Under the new deal, Amazon has agreed to pay about $1.8 billion per year.
“Regrettably, the league has notified us of its intention to accept additional offers for games in our current rights package, which requires us to proceed under the corresponding rights clause that is an integral part of our current agreement and the royalties we have paid under it,” Warner Bros. said in a statement.
If the NBA rejects Warner Bros.’ right to match Amazon’s package, what happens next is unclear. It’s possible that the company could sue the NBA. It’s also possible that the league could reach a settlement with the company. It’s unclear, however, whether the NBA would ask Amazon to pay more money for its package.
The new contracts begin in autumn 2025.
* News edited by Pedro Curvelo
Source: www.jornaldenegocios.pt
