After months of rumors, the NBA has secured a massive $76 billion television rights deal.
Andrew Marchand from The Athletic shared that NBC, Amazon, and ESPN are the new TV partners for the NBA. ABC/ESPN remains in place, while NBC and Amazon Prime join the mix. However, this change might cost fans more money.
The 11-year agreement means more games will be nationally televised every day after the NFL season ends. Fans will need both cable and several streaming subscriptions to watch all these games. Cutting the cord was supposed to save money, but now it seems like those savings are shrinking fast.
Fans might feel this is too much to handle financially. A premium cable/internet package costs around $217 monthly, according to CNET. Live TV streamers like Sling and YouTube are cheaper but still pricey when you add internet costs—$110 and $143 monthly on average. Plus, you’ll need an Amazon subscription for another $14.99 each month.
NBA’s New Broadcasting Deal:
When playoffs come around, things get even more complicated. Amazon will stream the In-Season Tournament and alternate conference finals with NBC. ESPN keeps showing one conference championship and the NBA Finals.
TNT’s long partnership with the NBA ends with this deal; they’ve been broadcasting games since 1989 and created iconic shows like “Inside the NBA” with Charles Barkley, who recently announced his plans to retire from broadcasting due to uncertainty.
TNT could still match parts of this offer by teaming up with Amazon or NBC’s share of rights worth a combined $4.3 billion—but that’s unlikely to happen.
This new deal is a big win for the NBA but might hurt fans in their wallets over time.
What do you think about these changes?
