OT: Comcast-NBC offering massive rights fee in bid to steal NBA from TNT

[4th&long]

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2024/0 ... -from-tnt/

>>  TNT parent company Warner Bros. Discovery will have to pay a heavy price to keep its NBA package away from an aggressive Comcast and NBC.

Comcast is willing to pay as much as $2.5 billion/year to acquire the NBA rights package currently owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, more-than-double the amount that those rights are currently worth, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. Warner Bros. Discovery is able to match any third party offer for its NBA rights package and per WSJ is making “last-ditch efforts” to hold onto its current rights.Under Comcast’s offer, the NBC broadcast network would potentially carry two primetime games per week. <<

There's been alot of talk of NBA going hard for NBA rights.  Its why they dumped the USFL/UFL - not for the $ but viewing windows.  Now they have, it appears, to have made their play.  Its costly.  $2.5B a year is huge.  Will WBD match or try to work out a deal for cable games and leave NBC with broadcast only?

If WBD loses the NBA does that open up an opportunity for UFL on TNT?  If WBD c##k blocks NBC (they have right to match) does NBC rethink UFL?

Will be interesting to watch how this plays out.

[GDAWG]

NBA on NBC means the return of this:

[MGB01]

NBA on NBC means the return of this:

 

Is also worth noting that while FOX uses it, it doesn't really mean anything. Tesh didn't sell Roundball Rock to them they just license it. ESPN used it during that Nets/Knicks 75th anniversary retrocast a couple years ago.

[MGB01]

It is going to be rather unfortunate to lose Turner, whose 40th anniversary with the NBA, the longest running professional partnership, is in October. I imagine David Zaslav won't be too popular going forward.

[Vamanos_Brahmas]

To tie this into the UFL...

Redbird Capital/Skydance is looking to purchase Paramount (CBS).  If this happens, this will have Redbird with an interest not just in CBS, but in the UFL (via XFL).  This gives the UFL three media partners in Skydance (CBS), FOX (FOX), and Disney (ABC/ESPN). 

It could very well be that this is NBC's only push to maintain relevance in the sports landscape.  I don't expect this fight to go down quickly.

[MGB01]

To tie this into the UFL...

Redbird Capital/Skydance is looking to purchase Paramount (CBS).  If this happens, this will have Redbird with an interest not just in CBS, but in the UFL (via XFL).  This gives the UFL three media partners in Skydance (CBS), FOX (FOX), and Disney (ABC/ESPN). 

It could very well be that this is NBC's only push to maintain relevance in the sports landscape.  I don't expect this fight to go down quickly.

You mean in the non-NFL/NCAAF portion of the year right? 

[Vamanos_Brahmas]

Of course... in the spring/summer months. Obviously the NFL reigns supreme, but that's a given in the US.  Every other league is beneath that and there's still a lot of programming out there and NBC/Peacock's got the Olympics but little else.

[MGB01]

Of course... in the spring/summer months. Obviously the NFL reigns supreme, but that's a given in the US.  Every other league is beneath that and there's still a lot of programming out there and NBC/Peacock's got the Olympics but little else.

True, look no further than three years ago as they were getting ready to say goodbye to the NHL their big event of the spring was D.K. Metcalf's cameo at the USATF games.

NBC would I imagine take over Sat nights and block out another night of the week (maybe Tuesday), ABC would probably like to put Mike Breen back on Sundays so they'll gladly make that trade. This would also allow for the NBA to have a network opener, something they haven't had since CBS did a few back in the late 70s/early 80s (tape-delayed in MT/PT, live late night on the east coast). 

Maybe the NBA can get rid of crap gimmicks like the NBA Cup.

[4th&long]

WBD and TNT/TBS future

As it looks almost a certainty that Disney/NBC/Amazon get the A, B, C NBA packages.  WBD is trying to weasel in but unlikely.  The NBA wants to wrap it up and Silver is "annoyed" with WBD.

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2024/0 ... ia-rights/

Without NBA WBD loses its biggest sports property by far.  Yes they still have NHL and MLB, but ratings champ is NBA.

At the same time their AEW rights are in negotiation and with NF grabbing WWE-Raw, don't count out Amazon taking a stab at AEW, at least in part...

https://www.outkick.com/sports/where-ae ... s-lose-nba

So where does that leave WBD and its TNT/TBS main cable channels?

Could WBD look to UFL in 2025 to fill in 10-11 weeks of programming?  Would UFL be interested.   I would say yes if the $$$ are right with generous promotion.  I could see a 10 week package doing ESPN #'s besting NHL, but not NBA for now at least.
With possible UFL expansion would this be possible?    AAF's 4 games on TNT averaged 571k, though the 1st game was an over sized 1mm+

I do think this is a possibility and something to keep an eye on.

[4th&long]

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2024/0 ... venge-wbd/

>>  How the NBA got around matching rights (and doomed itself) in the 70s 
~
The lesson here may be for the networks. Fifty years ago and again today, matching rights are simply no match for a league’s desired outcome.
<<

A little history here on what happened and likely happens to WBD-TNT/TBS NBA shortly.