Warner Bros. Discovery has filed a lawsuit against the NBA to maintain its broadcast rights for a package of live games, challenging the league’s decision to reject its attempt to match a third-party offer from Amazon. The company claims that its TNT Sports unit’s matching offer aligns with its contractual rights and serves the best interests of fans, who enjoy watching NBA content on platforms like TNT and Max. Warner Bros. Discovery seeks either to prevent the NBA from awarding the rights to Amazon or to receive monetary damages.
The NBA recently announced agreements with Disney, Comcast’s NBCUniversal, and Amazon for different packages of games, ending a nearly 40-year partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery’s Turner Sports. The new 11-year media rights deal is valued at approximately $77 billion, reflecting the rising value of live sports. The dispute centers around Warner Bros. Discovery’s attempt to match a $1.8 billion-per-year package earmarked for Amazon, which includes regular-season games, an in-season tournament, and some playoff games.
The NBA argues that Warner Bros. Discovery’s matching rights are invalid because the offer to air games on TNT and Max differs from Amazon’s streaming-only service. Warner Bros. Discovery counters that its matching rights should still apply, as many games in the Amazon package were previously aired on cable TV. The company asserts that the NBA’s refusal to honor its matching rights breaches their agreement. The legal battle underscores the high stakes involved in securing broadcast rights in the lucrative sports media market.
