The NBA telecast rights deal with Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) apparently includes several provisions that Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) couldn’t match, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing sources.
The WSJ report said among the provisions, there was one tied to Amazon’s (AMZN) carriage of NFL games. Warner-owned TBS, which runs the TNT channel, doesn’t carry NFL programming.
The deal ensured that NBA and NFL games get treated the same way, people familiar with the matter told WSJ, and is also stipulated that Amazon’s reach in U.S. streaming won’t fall below 80 million households.
The report said Amazon (AMZN) also pledged to provide three years worth of payments for NBA rights into an escrow account that the league can draw down automatically.
WBD provided a letter of credit, which the league deemed inferior, the people familiar with the situation told the Journal. A source told WSJ the NBA would only be able to draw down Warner’s funds if it missed a payment.
Warner (WBD) filed a lawsuit against the league last month for breach of contract and said it timely exercised matching rights on the terms and conditions as Amazon, but the NBA “deliberately refused to honor TBS’s rights.”
The NBA reached an 11-year, $76B-plus package deal with ESPN (DIS), NBC (CMCSA), and Amazon (AMZN), leaving out multi-decade partners TNT and TBS (WBD), and is set to go into effect after the 2024-2025 season.
NBC (CMCSA) also has the right to terminate its deal if any games are given to an additional broadcaster, people familiar with the matter told WSJ.
The Houston Rockets began their Emirates NBA Cup 2024 run with Friday’s home game versus the Los Angeles Clippers. Here’s a look at how it all works.From th
The calls to help don’t appear to be getting through to Kyle Singler yet. The one-time Duke star has continued to post worrying videos on Instag
NBA Cup Group Play action returns on Friday night, with 12 different games in action and several teams playing their second NBA Cup matchup this week.After a 1-
The Golden State Warriors will look to stay perfect in 2024 NBA Cup play when they batt