NBA TV deal: NBC, Amazon contenders to join / News - Basketnews.com

As the NBA keeps negotiating with ESPN and TNT, the league is now able to solicit offers from other potential suitors, including NBC, Amazon, Apple, Google and Netflix.

Credit: Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images Credit Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images

The NBA's exclusive negotiating window with Disney (ESPN) and Warner Bros Discovery (TNT) is set to expire Monday (April 22) without a definitive agreement, which means that the league's media rights will hit the open market.

The two networks have national television deals worth a combined US$24 billion that expire at the end of the 2024-25 campaign. Both have indicated their desire to renew with the NBA in a bid to boost both their linear and over-the-top (OTT) offerings. Even though talks have kept on for more than six weeks, the parties are still at the negotiating table.

However, the NBA is now able to solicit offers from other potential suitors, including NBC, Amazon, Apple, Google and Netflix, all of which have held at least preliminary conversations, according to CNBC.

The league is thought to be targeting at least one streaming partner in its next cycle, as it looks to tap into heightened demand for premium live sports content. If that should happen, the NBA could double or even treble its annual domestic broadcast revenues to $75 billion.

Amazon has made one of the largest pushes into live-streamed sports of any major tech company, recently inking a deal with the NFL to showcase Thursday Night Football, while Apple signed a multiyear deal with MLS and MLB to provide live games to fans.

According to The Athletic, while the league seems interested in continuing its relationship with TNT and ESPN, it does not seem very interested in granting its two longtime broadcast partners the exclusive rights they had previously. Per the same report, Amazon could win a package that includes much more valuable inventory, including conference finals and perhaps even the NBA Finals at some point over the life of a long-term deal.

A final decision isn't expected before the NBA Finals in June.

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