There’s only one minor problem: WBD seems to consider it’s contractually entitled to a share of the NBA broadcast settlement if it matched the bid for it—which, in Amazon’s case, was reportedly $1.8 billion per 12 months.
WBD’s assertion earlier this week referred to the “matching rights provision” as “an integral part of our current agreement and the rights we have paid for under it.” WBD’s assertion implied that it “matched” a suggestion, which might “allow fans to keep enjoying our unparalleled coverage, including the best live game productions in the industry and our iconic studio shows and talent while building on our proven 40-year commitment for many more years.”
The NBA didn’t make clear which parts of the settlement WBD didn’t match however disagreed with WBD’s evaluation whereas acknowledging a probably awkward 12 months of protection forward earlier than the brand new media rights deal kicks in through the 2025-26 season.
“We are grateful to Turner Sports for its award-winning coverage of the NBA and look forward to another season of the NBA on TNT,” the assertion famous.
Backside line
Warner Bros. Discovery entered 2024 with roughly $45 billion in debt and a seeming willingness to dump pricey sports activities properties. But it featured the NBA and host Charles Barkley prominently at this 12 months’s upfront presentation.
It’s arduous to interrupt away from the NBA solely when it has so many followers amongst manufacturers. Throughout the 2023-24 basketball season, tv information and analytics agency EDO discovered that the league produced greater than 56 billion impressions for its advertisers throughout greater than 29,000 airings. That made the complete NBA season 4 occasions extra impactful for advertisers than the common primetime program.
Because the NBA common season wore on, viewers have been 12% extra prone to have interaction with an advert throughout an NBA recreation than through the common primetime broadcast—up 15% from a season earlier than. As soon as the playoffs started, viewers have been 39% extra prone to work together with an advert throughout recreation time than in primetime. That put the NBA second solely to the Nationwide Soccer League in effectiveness for advertisers.
From the league’s perspective, stronger streaming solely improves its recreation.
With 78% of NBA advertisers on linear networks additionally promoting on the league’s streaming broadcasts, SponsorUnited sees extra alternative for that hesitant 22% to affix streaming channels. Bob Lynch, founder and CEO of SponsorUnited, beforehand informed ADWEEK that Amazon—which already companions with the NBA for WNBA video games—and different streamers assist the league and its advertisers discover followers and promote to them extra straight.
