NBA seeks new 10-year TV broadcast contract, Apple, NFLX and many other media companies want to bid
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is reportedly seeking a new television broadcast contract for the next decade of games, which may be estimated to cost more than $5 billion per year.
Currently, Disney , parent company of ABC and ESPN, and Warner Bros. Discovery Channel , owner of TNT, are in an exclusive negotiating window to renew their contracts with the NBA. The current deal expires in 2025, and executives at both companies are waiting for the league to decide which event packages to sell. Meanwhile, nearly every other major media company -- and some tech giants -- have expressed interest in bidding after the exclusivity window ends next spring.
Potential bidders include Amazon , Comcast's NBCUniversal, Apple , Fox and NFLX, according to interviews with 10 sports media executives familiar with the league's negotiations.
Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery Channel currently pay a total of approximately $2.7 billion annually to broadcast NBA games to a national audience in the United States. Ed Desser, a sports media consultant and former NBA executive, said, "I expect the NBA's broadcast rights to more than double, maybe even more."
To attract as many fans as possible, the league also wants more games to air on free-to-air stations such as ABC, NBC, Fox or CBS. And, it's possible the league will also want to show those games on streaming services at the same time to attract more viewers.
NBA President Adam Silver said at last month's CAA World Sports Congress that the games starting next season "will likely be some sort of hybrid format" that mixes broadcast, cable and streaming options.
Potential bidders include Amazon , Comcast's NBCUniversal, Apple , Fox and NFLX, according to interviews with 10 sports media executives familiar with the league's negotiations.
Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery Channel currently pay a total of approximately $2.7 billion annually to broadcast NBA games to a national audience in the United States. Ed Desser, a sports media consultant and former NBA executive, said, "I expect the NBA's broadcast rights to more than double, maybe even more."
To attract as many fans as possible, the league also wants more games to air on free-to-air stations such as ABC, NBC, Fox or CBS. And, it's possible the league will also want to show those games on streaming services at the same time to attract more viewers.
NBA President Adam Silver said at last month's CAA World Sports Congress that the games starting next season "will likely be some sort of hybrid format" that mixes broadcast, cable and streaming options.
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