TNT Sports stepping away from NBA TV

Field Level Media|published: Fri 27th June, 19:32 2025

Former Bucks great Oscar Robertson, left, is interviewed on the TNT pregame show Wednesday by, starting with second from left, Shaquille O'Neal, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley. Tnt16p1

TNT Sports will relinquish oversight of NBA TV operations, it was announced today by TNT Sports Chair and CEO Luis Silberwasser.

After a 17-year run with TNT Sports, day-to-day operations will revert to the league on Oct. 1.

"We made several proposals to continue to provide services and operate the NBA TV network and related digital assets," Silberwasser wrote in a memo to employees of the Warner Bros. Discovery cable unit, as reported by Sportico. "However, we were unable to agree on a path forward that recognized the value of our expertise, quality content and operational excellence that our fans and partners have come to expect from TNT Sports."

In July 2024, the league announced a new 11-year agreement with the Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal and Amazon Prime Video to broadcast approximately 75 games on linear television in addition to all national games being available on streaming services. TNT's agreement called for a minimum of 15 games on broadcast television.

TNT will continue to generate digital content for the league through Bleacher Report and House of Highlights and maintain editorial control of the Inside the NBA studio show. The highly popular program that features Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O'Neal and Ernie Johnson will air on ESPN and ABC.

--Field Level Media