The legal entanglement between WBD and the NBA is over.
The lawsuit WBD filed in New York Supreme Court has been settled, the WSJ first reported on Saturday. Under the settlement, Warner Bros. Discovery will be able to develop new shows with the NBA and WBD will have international NBA rights in Northern Europe and Latin America, excluding Mexico and Brazil.
Warner Bros. Discovery also struck a deal with Disney to license the hit TNT show “Inside the NBA” to ESPN and ABC starting next season. The program features host Ernie Johnson, with analysis from Hall of Famer Charles Barkley and NBA champions Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal. Bleacher Report and House of Highlights will continue to have NBA content.
The NBA agreed to 11-year deals with Amazon, ESPN, and NBC worth a combined $76 billion, which will replace WBD’s TNT Sports as the league’s domestic broadcaster. The new deals will begin at the start of the 2025/26 season
WBD alleged that the NBA breached its contract by rejecting WBD’s matching offer for a new media rights deal.
TNT has broadcast NBA games since 1989 and has hosted various events, such as NBA All-Star Weekend and playoff games, including the Eastern and Western Conference Finals.
WBD did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Bill Simmons broke the news on X.
