Highlights from the article. If anyone wants a 30 day Athletic pass lmk.
“It is expected that Prime Video’s package will include significant regular season and postseason games, perhaps even some conference finals. The anticipation is that the final contract will be for at least a decade and begin the 2025-2026 season.”
“ESPN/ABC, as the website Puck reported Thursday, also has a framework of a deal with the expectations that an agreement will be completed. ESPN/ABC are expected to keep the Finals on its networks for the duration of its deals. Like Amazon, ESPN’s new contract is also expected to be at least a decade in length.”
“The NBA prefers to have three companies involved in its new deals, but has not ruled out adding a fourth.
The NBA is finishing up nine-year deals that pay it $2.6 billion on average from ESPN and TNT Sports. Those contracts end after the 2024-2025 season.
The advancement in the Amazon and ESPN talks leaves incumbent Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns network TNT Sports, to face off with NBC, owned by Comcast, for the likely last package of games. Warner Bros. Discovery has the right to match deals, but NBC could try to structure an agreement in a way that makes it difficult.”
Since cities and states subsidize sport franchises, if teams won’t broadcast OTA because they sold the rights, then it should be broadcast on public access.
Damn if TNT loses the rights I’ll be devastated. Legitimately the only time I’ll watch pre/half/post game stuff.
Why did it have to be Amazon?
I cut them out of my life years ago, and I’m not going back.
Yeah I was hoping literally any other streaming service got it instead of them.
Yo ho it is then
What is this Amazon?
(Pirate sport streaming sites exist)
