April 19, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; NBA on TNT television analysts Reggie Miller (left) and Kevin Harlan watch the second round of the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs at the Trail Center New Orleans Pelicans vs. Phoenix Suns game. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports Warner Bros. Discovery filed a lawsuit against the NBA in New York Supreme Court on Friday after losing media rights to Amazon.
According to documents obtained by ESPN, TNT parent company Warner Bros. Discovery claims the league breached its contract by rejecting WBD's proposed new media rights deal and instead signing with Amazon.
“In light of the NBA's unreasonable refusal to match our third-party offer, we have taken legal action to defend our rights,” TNT Sports said in a statement on Friday. “We firmly believe that this is not only our contractual rights, but also consistent with the In the best interest of fans who want to continue to watch our industry-leading NBA content, we offer them choice and flexibility through our widely distributed WBD video-first distribution platforms – including TNT and Max.
NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement released Friday that WBD's allegations are “baseless and our attorneys will respond.”
WBD's lawsuit comes two days after the NBA announced an 11-year media rights agreement with Disney, NBC and Amazon Prime Video worth nearly $76 billion. The contract is valid from the 2025-26 season to the 2035-36 season.
WBD said Monday it had matched Amazon's offer of $1.8 billion per year, more than the $1.4 billion WBD is currently paying for the nine-year contract, which expires after the 2024-25 season.
With the NBA refusing to accept WBD's offer, the league ended a nearly four-year relationship that began in the 1984-85 season.
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