The NBA's brewing TV rights dispute might be just as entertaining to watch as games

The NBA's negotiation over their new television rights contract has drawn significant attention, mainly due to the NBA on TNT and, more specifically, "Inside the NBA". The popular show features Hall of Famers such as Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley talking about the league, but with the NBA already agreeing to a deal with NBC, Amazon, and ABC, it seemed as though TNT and "Inside the NBA" would go away. 

However, TNT, which is owned by Warner Bros./Discovery (WBD), just recently exercised the clause in their contract that allows them to match any offer (in this case with Amazon) in an attempt to keep its rights to air NBA games. Surprisingly, however, the NBA declined to accept their match rights and announced that they would proceed with their agreed-upon deal with Amazon.

As NBA insider Marc Stein points out, the NBA's situation is not dissimilar to that of restrictive free agents who want to play elsewhere but whose current team opts to match their contract. Unlike restrictive free agents, the NBA can decline match rights, but there appears to be a legal battle brewing as a result.

The NBA vs. Warner Bros. Discovery

The NBA's reason for declining WBD's offer is an interesting one; while WBD matched Amazon's offer, the NBA seems to be claiming that they didn't match all of Amazon's offer. That might mean that WBD can't match Amazon's reach with their 200 million subscribers, with most of them using Prime Video to stream content.

That might technically be true, but it might be something that could lead to a lawsuit, even if it probably won't mean that the NBA on TNT will return after next season. The NBA's new partnership deals with NBC and Amazon seem to have streaming in mind, with NBC being a major network that also has a big streaming service in Peacock. That allows the league to reach a much larger audience with games being broadcast on both NBC and Peacock at the same time. Judging from WBDs statement, it seems clear that they will fight it. 

Overall, the NBA's partnership with ABC, Amazon, and NBC suggests that they are focused on reaching more people worldwide, primarily through streaming. But, given that the league's partnership with WBD ended in a seemingly controversial way, it might not be the last we hear on the subject.