.jpg)
2 hours ago
1
A new NBA season means a new chapter of the league's story is set to be written. And while one chapter is beginning, another may be ending.
The 2024-25 NBA season is the final year of the league's current media rights deal and after this season, the way that fans consume the game will be different. With NBC Sports and Amazon soon becoming broadcasting partners, the future of TNT Sports' involvement with the NBA is murky.
Barring a revelation during a litigious battle, the 2024-25 season could be the final year that TNT is a home of the NBA. As such, TNT's award-winning NBA coverage may be no more.
Here's what to know about the future of "Inside the NBA," TNT's legendary program.
MORE: NBA's new TV rights deal, explained | Ranking 'Inside the NBA' best moments
Is 'Inside the NBA' ending?
The future of "Inside the NBA" is much clearer after Monday's announcement that ESPN will air to the show starting with the 2025-26 season.
While TNT lost its TV rights for NBA games, an agreement with Disney, which owns ESPN, allows TNT Sports to maintain some rights to NBA content while letting ESPN air to the popular studio show.
As part of the agreement, TNT will still produce "Inside the NBA" from its regular studio, and ESPN will air it around major events including "pregame, halftime and postgame coverage of the NBA Finals on ABC, Conference Finals, NBA Playoffs, all ABC games after January 1, Christmas Day, opening week [and] the final week of the season"
The future of "Inside the NBA" had been uncertain after TNT was left out of the NBA's massive new TV rights deal.
Barkley explained this during a September appearance on Bill Simmons' eponymous podcast.
They don't even have no idea what we're going to do. So I'm sitting in this meeting in Philly. 'We wanna keep doing the show.' I was like, 'What do you mean? Like, 'We want to keep ya'll together.' Well, I would consider that because I want all my friends to keep their jobs. I said 'What are we gonna do?' 'We haven't figured that out yet.' I'm like, 'What?' I says, 'We won't have basketball. What the hell are we gonna do?' And so that's the thing that's fascinating. Like I say, I know we got one more year with the NBA then we're going to lose it. And they want to do the show at least another year, but I'm like we don't even have basketball. 'We're going to pay for highlights!'
SN's NBA HQ: Live NBA scores | Updated NBA standings | Full NBA schedule
Kenny Smith had a similar answer in an August interview with Forbes, saying, “I think we have the most unique opportunity if we move together in sports television history and own the (intellectual) property.
"Even if we stay, own the property, distribute it and to make sure the people that made it great — including the producers, directors, cameramen, statisticians, audio — they're still a thought.”
The NBA's most recent push to dismiss TNT's lawsuit came ahead of the 2024 NBA preseason but it wasn't until Nov. 18 that a settlement was finalized to keep "Inside the NBA" intact.
ESPN's 'Inside the NBA' deal with Warner Bros. Discovery
ESPN struck a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery on Monday to give the network the rights to air "Inside the NBA" starting with the 2025-26 season.
Warner Bros. Discovery had sued the NBA for breach of contract after the league agreed to a new TV rights deal that didn't include TNT, giving the company a way to leverage the enormously popular pre- and post-game show.
As part of the settlement, ESPN will get the rights to air "Inside the NBA" while TNT produces it from its typical studio. Meanwhile, TNT will be given the rights to several Big 12 football and basketball games while also retaining access to NBA content and the right to continue producing NBA content on its platforms.
English (US)