Amazon Prime Video Secures Major NBA Broadcasting Deal, Sparking Competition with ESPN and TNT

The upcoming expiration of the NBA’s media rights deals with ESPN and TNT after the 2024-25 season has sparked curiosity about the league’s next move. Amazon Prime Video and the NBA have recently announced a deal that will see the streaming and retail giant become a significant platform for game telecasts starting from the 2025-26 season. The terms of the deal are expected to last at least 10 years, and could potentially include regular season, postseason, and even conference finals games, as well as global broadcast rights.

Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed, but comparisons have been made to ESPN’s reported $1.6 billion per year and TNT’s $1.2 billion per year agreements. ESPN/ABC is also working on a new deal, with ABC securing exclusive rights to the NBA Finals for a similar 10-year period. ESPN may televise fewer games in the future, making way for potential partnerships with other TV networks, raising questions about whether the package could go to TNT or NBC.

NBC, which lost NBA broadcast rights in 2002, is interested in securing NBA broadcasts for its streaming platform Peacock. TNT, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, has the right to match any deal to retain NBA telecasts, but losing them would leave a significant gap in their prime-time schedule. Amazon’s NBA broadcasts may be streamed on Thursday nights, potentially overlapping with the NFL’s Thursday Night Football broadcasts. Google is also reportedly interested in carrying NBA League Pass, the league’s out-of-market broadcast package.