Warner Bros. Discovery sued the NBA after the league rejected its matching offer in the upcoming 11-year media rights deal.
The lawsuit was filed in a New York state court in Manhattan.
The big picture: WBD, the parent company of TNT Sports, seeks a judgment confirming its matching of Amazon Prime Video’s offer and a delay in the new media rights deal’s implementation from the 2025-26 season onwards.
- The NBA signed media deals with Disney, NBCUniversal, and Amazon Prime Video, rejecting Warner Bros. Discovery’s $1.8 billion per year offer.
- The total value of the new deals with Disney, NBCUniversal, and Amazon Prime Video is estimated to bring the NBA around $76 billion over 11 years.
- Warner Bros. Discovery claims that it properly matched the Amazon Offer by agreeing to telecast games on TNT and Max.
Driving the news: The lawsuit highlights a deteriorating relationship between the NBA and Turner Sports, which has existed for nearly 40 years.
- Warner Bros. Discovery and the NBA failed to reach a deal during the exclusive negotiation period, leading to the current lawsuit.
- Warner Bros. Discovery had five days to match parts of the NBA’s deals but their matching offer was not considered genuine by the NBA.
