Warner Bros. sues NBA over media rights deal

Field Level Media|published: 07/26/2024, 3:17pm EDT

Apr 19, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; NBA on TNT television analyst Reggie Miller (left) and Kevin Harlan during the New Orleans Pelicans against the Phoenix Suns in game two of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Warner Bros. Discovery filed a lawsuit against the NBA in New York Supreme Court on Friday after losing media rights to Amazon.

Warner Bros. Discovery, TNT's parent company, alleges that the league breached its contract by declining WBD's offer for a new media rights deal and instead signing with Amazon, according to documents obtained by ESPN.

"Given the NBA's unjustified rejection of our matching of a third-party offer, we have taken legal action to enforce our rights," TNT Sports said in a statement Friday. "We strongly believe this is not just our contractual right, but also in the best interest of fans who want to keep watching our industry-leading NBA content with the choice and flexibility we offer them through our widely distributed WBD video-first distribution platforms -- including TNT and Max."

In a statement released Friday, NBA spokesman Mike Bass said WBD's claims "are without merit, and our lawyers will address them."

WBD's lawsuit comes two days after the NBA announced an 11-year media rights deal worth almost $76 billion with Disney, NBC and Amazon Prime Video. The deal runs from the 2025-26 season through the 2035-36 season.

WBD said Monday that it had matched Amazon's offer of $1.8 billion per year, up from the $1.4 billion that WBD is paying now on a nine-year deal that expires following the 2024-25 season.

With the NBA declining to accept WBD's offer, the league is ending a nearly four-decade partnership that began in the 1984-85 season.

--Field Level Media