TNT releases statement, promises 'appropriate action' after NBA rejects media rights offer

It was announced on Wednesday that the NBA has rejected TNT’s media rights offer, instead opting to enter an arrangement with Amazon for at least the next 11 years beginning during the 2025-26 season.

TNT Sports has now issued a statement of their own following the NBA’s announcement, revealing their side of the story.

“We have matched the Amazon offer, as we have a contractual right to do, and do not believe the NBA can reject it,” TNT Sports wrote in a statement. “In doing so, they are rejecting the many fans who continue to show their unwavering support for our best-in-class coverage, delivered through the full combined reach of WBD’s video-first distribution platforms including TNT, home to our four-decade partnership with the league, and Max, our leading streaming service.

“We think they have grossly misinterpreted our contractual rights with respect to the 2025-26 season and beyond, and we will take appropriate action. We look forward, however, to another great season of the NBA on TNT and Max including our iconic Inside the NBA.”

Sources told the Associated Press a few weeks ago that the NBA had agreed to a new media rights deal worth $76 billion across 11 years. TNT Sports had five days to match Amazon’s deal if they wanted to continue to broadcast the NBA.

The previous deal was signed for nine years and worth $24 billion, a 216.667% increase.

Games will continue to air on ESPN and ABC, but NBC and of course Amazon Prime will feature NBA games as well.

This record-setting deal will reportedly ensure player salaries will continue to rise and change how fans can access games for the foreseeable future. The league’s salary cap is expected to rise at an annual rate of 10%, which is the maximum amount allowed by the most recent collective bargaining agreement set by the NBA and NBAPA.

Some of the NBA’s highest-paid stars could potentially be making roughly $80 million per season by 2030. When a new deal is made in just over a decade, those numbers could potentially keep climbing.

NBA releases statement on its partnership with Amazon

“Warner Bros. Discovery’s most recent proposal did not match the terms of Amazon Prime Video’s offer and, therefore, we have entered into a long-term arrangement with Amazon. Throughout these negotiations, our primary objective has been to maximize the reach and accessibility of our games for our fans. Our new arrangement with Amazon supports this goal by complementing the broadcast, cable, and streaming packages that are already part of our new Disney and NBCUniversal arrangements. All three partners have also committed substantial resources to promote the league and enhance the fan experience,” the NBA wrote in their statement on Wednesday evening, via On3’s Wade Peery.

“We are grateful to Turner Sports for its award-winning coverage of the NBA and look forward to another season of the NBA on TNT.”