Last week, the NBA turned down Warner Bros. Discovery’s final bid to match Amazon’s $1.8 billion per year offer to broadcast games starting in 2025.
Charles Barkley is not happy with this decision and thinks the NBA is choosing money over fans.
Charles Barkley’s Reaction:
Barkley shared his thoughts on Instagram, saying the NBA never really wanted to stay with WBD. “Clearly the NBA has wanted to break with us from the beginning. Iโm not sure TNT ever had a chance,” he said.
Charles Barkley responds to the NBA choosing Amazon over TNT for their NBA media rights deal
โItโs a sad day when owners and commissioners choose money over the fans. It just sucks.โ
โ ScreenTime (@screentime)
“TNT matched the money, but they know tech companies like Amazon will pay more in future,” Barkley added. He feels it’s unfair that he might have to take a pay cut because of this decision.
Fans think this whole situation is pretty frustrating.
The Future of Sports Broadcasting:
Barkley believes everything will move to streaming soon and mentioned he hasn’t discussed plans with Shaquille O’Neal or Kenny Smith yet. “In 11 years nobodyโs going to be able to afford these rights by streaming,” he predicted.
A spokesperson for TNT stated they did match Amazon’s offer and criticized the NBA for rejecting it: โWe have matched the Amazon offer… rejecting many fans who support our coverage.โ
NBA’s Standpoint:
Despite WBDโs claims, the NBA insists their proposal didn’t match Amazon’s terms. The league announced last week that they’ve entered into a long-term deal with Amazon instead.
โWarner Bros. Discoveryโs most recent proposal did not match… we have entered into a long-term arrangement with Amazon,โ said an official statement from the league last Wednesday.
Commissioner’s Explanation:
Adam Silver explained that partnering with Disney, NBCUniversal, and Amazon will enhance how fans watch games globally: โThese partners will distribute our content across various platforms and help transform fan experience over next decade.โ
