ESPN, NBC, and Amazon Secure $77 Billion NBA Rights Deal

Walt Disney's ESPN, NBCUniversal, and Amazon have jointly secured an 11-year, $77 billion deal to broadcast National Basketball Association (NBA) games. This new agreement significantly increases the number of regular-season games available on various platforms, with Disney, NBC, and Amazon offering extensive coverage during both the regular season and playoffs.

Walt Disney's ESPN, Comcast-owned NBCUniversal, and Amazon have clinched a $77 billion deal to carry National Basketball Association (NBA) games over the next 11 years, the league announced on Wednesday.

The NBA disclosed it had rejected a last-minute bid from Warner Bros Discovery's TNT Sports, concluding a relationship lasting nearly four decades. A TNT Sports spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

Analysts note that securing broadcast rights involves significant financial commitments due to the high costs and production fees. The new agreement will see approximately 75 regular-season games broadcast on TV each season, a notable increase from the previous minimum of 15 games.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said, "Our new global media agreements with Disney, NBCUniversal, and Amazon will maximize the reach and accessibility of NBA games for fans in the United States and around the world. These partners will distribute our content across a wide range of platforms and help transform the fan experience over the next decade."

Under the new deal, Disney will air 80 regular-season NBA games, including 20 on ABC Network. ESPN and ABC will also televise about 18 playoff games in the initial rounds each year, and one Conference Finals series in 10 of the 11 years. ABC will continue to exclusively broadcast the NBA Finals.

NBCUniversal is set to broadcast 100 regular-season games, with over half airing on NBC. Its streaming service, Peacock, will stream a Monday night doubleheader each season. NBC and Peacock will cover around 28 playoff games in the early rounds, broadcasting at least half on NBC. NBC will also air one Conference Finals series in six of the 11 contract years.

Amazon will stream 66 regular-season NBA games on Prime Video, including a Black Friday game and the Championship Game of the Emirates NBA Cup. Prime Video will also broadcast a portion of playoff games, including around one-third of first- and second-round games each season.