NBA Announces TNT, Warner Bros. Discovery Failed to Reach Amazon Prime Deal; TNT Vows to Take ‘Appropriate Action’

After TNT announced Monday that it had made a matching bid to retain the NBA broadcast rights and planned to continue producing the beloved studio show “Inside the NBA,” the NBA responded Wednesday.

The league said in a statement that TNT’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, failed to match the NBA’s new 11-year, $1.8 billion annual contract with Amazon.

TNT promises to oppose NBA decision

TNT Sports has responded Wednesday afternoon to the NBA, issuing a statement saying it does not “believe the NBA can decline the offer.” It promised to “take appropriate action.”

It is not clear what will happen now.

Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported Monday that TNT matched the NBA’s contract with Amazon, a deal the NBA would prefer to honor, according to the report. The league was expected to reject TNT’s offer to claim the rights to the Amazon package, setting up a potential confrontation between the three entities, the report said.

TNT has held the NBA broadcast rights for 35 years. ESPN, NBC and Amazon all reached deals with the NBA for the next round of broadcast rights, starting with the 2025-26 season. Led by parent company Warner Bros. Discovery and CEO David Zaslav, TNT failed to reach a new deal during an exclusive negotiating period but retained the right to match offers from competing entities, which it made effective Monday.

The development clears the way for NBC to return to NBA coverage. NBC previously aired NBA games from 1990-2002. ESPN and ABC will retain the league’s primary package, which includes coverage of the NBA Finals.

NBC Sports and Amazon both promoted their new packages shortly after the NBA’s statement on Wednesday.

Amazon’s negotiated package with the NBA is not a direct mirror of TNT’s existing package. TNT currently airs games on Tuesday and Thursday nights during the regular season, All-Star weekend and playoff games through the Western Conference finals.

The deal with Amazon includes the rights to six conference finals over the 11-year term of the deal, the NBA Cup (formerly the in-season tournament), play-in games and Thursday regular-season games at the conclusion of the streamer’s NFL coverage on Thursday nights.

The NBA’s current broadcast contracts run through next season, meaning TNT will continue to air the league’s games through the 2025 Western Conference Finals.

Hosted by Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal, “Inside the NBA” is synonymous with the league and is loved by players and fans alike. Johnson has reportedly said he will not leave TNT if the network loses the NBA rights. Barkley’s stance has been a moving target. He has suggested his own production company could pick up the show and has pledged to retire from broadcasting at the end of next season in separate statements.

In addition to the NBA’s statement on Wednesday, the WNBA announced the extension of its partnerships with Disney and Amazon Prime, plus a new deal with NBCUniversal. From 2026-36, the three broadcasters will distribute more than 125 regular-season and playoff games nationally.