Warner Bros. Discovery and the NBA agree to expand long-standing partnership

On By Littum

National Basketball Association and Warner Bros. Discovery has entered into an agreement that will extend their long-standing media partnership by a further 11 years. Under the terms of the agreement, the NBA and Warner Bros. Discovery expanded their business partnership, including several components that will promote NBA content and accelerate the global growth and reach of TNT Sports and its leading digital sports brands Bleacher Report and House of Highlights. The deal also includes a reimagined and enhanced NBA Digital partnership between the NBA and TNT Sports and a full package of live game rights in a number of territories outside the US, strengthening WBD’s global portfolio.

In addition, WBD and the NBA have resolved all disputes related to the NBA’s recent media agreements.

TNT Sports and its portfolio of brands will receive a global license to create, produce and distribute new and existing NBA content across its platforms. The deal includes expanded global content and highlights rights for TNT Sports, Bleacher Report and House of Highlights, with the ability to produce and distribute NBA content across the WBD portfolio along with meaningful promotion, sales and creative commitments across both NBA and WBD platforms.

Concurrent with this agreement, WBD and ESPN have agreed to enter into an innovative partnership. TNT Sports will continue to fully create and produce Inside the NBA, its iconic studio show distributed on ESPN and ABC. Beginning with the 2025-26 season, Inside the NBA, the recipient of 21 Emmy Awards, will air on ESPN and ABC throughout the regular season and NBA Playoffs. TNT Sports will also continue to develop new content to air on its WBD platforms with TNT’s Inside the NBA studio talent, including innovative programming such as an “Inside Sports” show in development for next season.

In conjunction with the agreement between WBD and ESPN, TNT Sports will now broadcast an exclusive slate of Big 12 football (13 games each season) and men’s basketball (15 games each season) beginning in the 2025 season. This builds on TNT Sports’ deal with ESPN to present the College Football Playoffs with TNT, showing a pair of first-round games beginning in December.

In addition, WBD has been awarded live NBA game television rights in the Nordics (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden), along with Poland and Latin America (excluding Brazil and Mexico) for the next 11 years. In conjunction with this live game telecast package, WBD will provide broad reach, local language commentary and promotional opportunities for the NBA’s marketing partners.

“Together, these agreements ensure that fans will continue to enjoy TNT’s Inside NBA and create tremendous value for our entire portfolio as we accelerate the growth of TNT Sports, Bleacher Report, House of Highlights and our global sports business,” said David Zaslav, CEO for Warner Bros. Discovery. “We are pleased to partner with the NBA and Disney/ESPN and to have strengthened long-term rights and revenue for WBD.”

“The opportunity to continue the iconic and Emmy-winning Inside the NBA is a huge win for basketball fans everywhere,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “We look forward to building on our long-standing partnership with TNT Sports and working together to promote NBA content across key WBD and NBA platforms.”

WBD’s agreement with the NBA also includes a joint commitment to accelerate the global growth of Bleacher Report and House of Highlights—the premier digital destinations for highly engaged, young sports fans—through a new global license that includes expansive content and rights to highlights that as well as game access to produce NBA-related content. Bleacher Report and House of Highlights will receive widespread promotion across NBA assets, and the NBA will create a section of its digital products (such as the NBA app and NBA.com) that will feature basketball-related content produced by B/R , HoH and TNT Sport.

The deal also re-establishes and continues the NBA Digital partnership between the NBA and TNT Sports for five seasons, where the NBA can engage WBD to provide promotion and a range of services, including production, content development and sales operations services. WBD will also be a strategic promotional partner for NBA League Pass and, through promotion on B/R, HoH and other WBD digital platforms, help accelerate League Pass subscriber acquisition. In addition, advertising for NBA properties and initiatives will run on WBD linear channels and digital platforms.

TNT Sports, the national NBA rights holder since 1984, has earned more than 190 Sports Emmy nominations and 45 wins for its NBA coverage. TNT Sports and the NBA have jointly managed NBA Digital, the league’s collection of media assets, since 2009.

About TNT Sports
TNT Sports is a global leader in the delivery of premium sports content. The TNT Sports US portfolio includes expansive, multi-platform partnerships with the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, the National Hockey League, the United States Soccer Federation, the Mountain West and, beginning in 2025, Unrivaled, Roland – Garros, NASCAR and BIG EAST. Owned and operated platforms are highlighted by Bleacher Report, the #1 digital destination for young sports fans, along with House of Highlights, HighlightHER, Golf Digest and a full suite of digital and social portfolio brands. In addition, TNT Sports manages NBA Digital – consisting of NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE Pass, the NBA App and NBAGLEAGUE.com – as well as NCAA.com and NCAA March Madness Live. TNT Sports in Europe and the Republic of Ireland includes partnerships with the NBA, Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UFC, WWE and more, as well as beloved brands Eurosport, Global Mountain Bike Network (GMBN) and multi-sports programming and content on Discovery+ and Discovery’s free-to-air television network.