The NBA‘s current broadcast contracts will expire after the end of the 2024-25 season, and several tech companies are vying for a piece of the world’s biggest basketball league. The Association may create a package of games that would be distributed via streaming, with Amazon Prime Video and YouTube emerging as the two most likely partners for that deal.
News of the negotiations comes from The Wall Street Journal, which claimed that the price of NBA media rights is going up. That alone is not a surprise, since the NBA is relevant around the world and continues to draw strong ratings (especially now, during playoff season).
The more interesting tidbit is the potential breakdown of the league’s national broadcasts; rather than giving Disney and Warner the same number of games they currently air, the NBA could reduce that load to open up room for a streaming-exclusive package. According to the WSJ, Amazon is the frontrunner to secure the rights to that bundle. Its Prime Video service already airs one NFL game per week through a deal that kicked off in 2022.
YouTube, however, is another intriguing landing spot for an NBA streaming package. The Google-affiliated hub already has close ties with the NBA and its players, and it boasts a community of basketball creators who have the potential to bring more young fans to pro basketball broadcasts. YouTube has also received praise for its handling of the NFL Sunday Ticket package. It leveraged creators to promote the comprehensive football package, and its first season handling those rights was a ringing success.
The size of the traditional and streaming packages could shift as the NBA negotiates with its suitors, so the WSJ report estimates that it will still be “several weeks” before a final decision is reached. The shakeup could include some changes to the league’s list of TV providers. While Turner and Disney have shown interest in renewing their contracts, NBCUniversal is reporting butting into the conversation as well. Us NBA oldheads know that the NBA on NBC broadcasts from the 90s had the best theme song, so the Peacock shouldn’t be ignored during the ongoing negotiations.
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