It’s been nearly two weeks since news first broke that Amazon is expected to hold a significant piece of the NBA’s next media rights deal.
And while the deal has yet to be finalized, we now have a better idea of what type of NBA content will be present on the streamer.
On Monday, Puck’s John Ourand published an update on the NBA’s ongoing negotiations, which included new details regarding Amazon’s piece of the pie. According to Ourand, it is “likely” that the streamer will have a Saturday night window during the regular season, the league’s In-Season Tournament and postseason play-in games, as well as some first and second-round playoff matchups and one conference finals every other year.
Amazon is expected to pay an average annual fee of $1.8 billion over the next 11 years for a total value of $19.8 billion.
Suffice to say, Amazon will be a significant part of the NBA’s presentation moving forward, with Ourand noting that the streamer’s hosting of the In-Season Tournament brings an end to speculation that the event could be spun off to Netflix. The update also confirms that the Amazon will have a sizable presence in the playoffs by way of the play-in games, first and second-round matchups and hosting one of the conference finals on a biannual basis.
As for the rest of the NBA’s new media rights deal, Ourand states that Disney is expected to maintain a reduced part of the package despite increasing its annual fee from $1.5 billion to $2.6 billion. Still, ESPN is expected to remain the league’s most prominent partner, hosting the NBA Finals and one conference finals every season, as well as a weekly Wednesday night showcase during the regular season.
Meanwhile, the league’s third package remains a race between Comcast (NBC) and Warner Bros. Discover (TNT). Per Ourand, it is “unlikely” the league would split its third package between the two media conglomerates, meaning one of them will be left without a chair when the music stops.
Altogether, Ourand reports that the NBA is expected to increase its total annual media rights fee from the $2.7 billion it currently receives from ESPN and WBD to $7 billion. And with agreements with Disney and Amazon reportedly reached, all that’s left to determine is whether it will be Comcast or WBD on the outside looking in when the new deal, which will go into effect following the 2024-25 season, is finalized.
[Puck]
