Warner Bros Discovery Obtains NBA Rights Extension Following Dispute

Warner Bros Discovery opens new tab announced that it would have access to prized National Basketball Association content for another 11 years as part of a court settlement with the league, driving the media company's shares up more than 5%.

The new arrangement grants the firm the right to use NBA content on TNT Sports, Bleacher Report, and House of Highlights, as well as the ability to broadcast live games in Nordic countries, Poland, and Latin America (with the exception of Brazil and Mexico).

It does not include live game rights in the critical US market, which means TNT's more than 40-year history of airing the league live will come to an end after this season.

Warner Bros Discovery sued the NBA in July after the league rejected its matching proposal for media rights, following the announcement of a $77 billion deal with Walt Disney's ESPN, Comcast-owned NBCUniversal, and Amazon.com.

"The settlement is a reasonable compromise that most NBA fans will welcome," said Ross Benes, senior analyst at Emarketer. "WBD's lawsuit had tenuous odds, this concession is better than nothing."

Rights to the popular professional basketball league are treasured possessions for media corporations, as sports content has maintained a consistent and loyal viewership even as traditional TV businesses lose millions of subscribers due to cord cutting.

Warner Bros Discovery has also reached an agreement to license the popular Emmy Award-winning show "Inside the NBA" to sports network ESPN. After the corporation lost rights to the league, questions about the show's future arose, with hosts including Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal.

As part of the agreement with ESPN, TNT Sports will broadcast 13 Big 12 football games and 15 men's basketball games beginning with the 2025 season. Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav stated that the moves have "solidified long-term rights and revenue for WBD".