NBA selects new partners: Disney, Amazon, Comcast; Rejects WBD

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has finally made a decision and announced a $77 billion broadcasting rights contract with Disney's ESPN, Amazon, Comcast's NBC Universal. It is important to emphasize that this new NBA contract excludes longtime partner TNT and TBS owned by Warner Brothers Discovery.

Warner Bros. made a last-minute bid to retain the broadcasting rights, but the NBA rejected the proposal from WBD to continue airing games on the TNT network. The rejection of WBD's bid has raised the possibility of escalating into a legal battle.

Under the new contract, disney will pay an average of $2.6 billion per year to continue broadcasting NBA games on ESPN and ABC. Universal Corp. will pay $2.5 billion per year to broadcast games on NBC and its streaming service, Peacock. Additionally, Amazon's main board video has secured a $1.9 billion streaming package per year.

The 11-year media broadcasting rights contracts starting from the 2024-2025 season are expected to significantly boost the league's annual revenue.

Through the contract with the NBA, the number of regular season games available on television for viewers will significantly increase, enhancing fans' experience. The NBA aims to expand the reach of its content across multiple platforms.