Inside the NBA is set to debut on ESPN and ABC starting next season, following a settlement agreement between Warner Bros Discovery and the NBA. The deal, which was initially reported last week, was officially confirmed by ESPN on Monday. The beloved team of Ernie Johnson Jr, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal will continue to host the show. Barkley extended his contract with Warner Bros Discovery in August, even as the company lost its NBA broadcast rights. ESPN announced that Inside the NBA will be featured on ESPN and ABC during significant live events, including pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage of the NBA Finals on ABC, Conference Finals, NBA Playoffs, all ABC games post-January 1, Christmas Day, opening week, the final week of the season, and other marquee events.
ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro expressed his enthusiasm for the deal, stating that Inside the NBA is widely regarded as one of the best and most culturally impactful shows in sports. He added that the addition of the show further solidifies ESPN as the premier destination for sports fans. Warner Bros Discovery, parent company of TNT Sports, filed a lawsuit against the NBA in New York state court after the league rejected the company’s matching offer for one of the packages in its new 11-year media rights deal, set to commence in the 2025-26 season. Despite the move to ESPN and ABC, TNT Sports will continue to produce Inside the NBA from Atlanta, except during road shows.
Luis Silberwasser, CEO and chairman of TNT Sports, emphasized the pride in producing Inside the NBA and the show’s success, attributing it to the iconic talent and the creative team behind the scenes. The settlement includes a global content license for NBA content for TNT Sports, Bleacher Report, and House of Highlights, with no rights fee for the next 11 years. Warner Bros Discovery will also maintain its relationship with the league’s digital operations, including NBA.com, for five seasons. Although TNT Sports will no longer air games in the U.S. next season, it retains rights to broadcast a full package of games in select countries, such as Latin America and Poland. Additionally, TNT Sports will start airing Big 12 football and men’s basketball games next season under a sublicense with ESPN, and will air two College Football Playoff games this season under the same agreement. Warner Bros Discovery also acquired rights to the French Open tennis tournament and Big East basketball earlier this year. Turner Sports has had an NBA package since 1984, with games airing on TNT since the network’s launch in 1988, but this will conclude after the current season.
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