NEW YORK: The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced nine-year US television contract extensions yesterday with Disney’s ABC and ESPN and Turner Broadcasting’s TNT, deals worth a reported $2.5bn a year.
The new deal, whose value was not announced but reported by the New York Times, starts with the 2016-17 season and keeps games on the networks through the 2024-25 campaign and replaces an eight-year contract that expired in 2016.
“They have been terrific partners and have helped continue the growth of our game,” NBA commisioner Adam Silver said. “Our game has never been better. We can’t wait until opening week.”
ESPN will add 15 regular-season telecasts, rising to 85 games, obtain greater digital media and audio rights plus additional regular-season and play-off games and NBA-themed programs for the Pacific Rim, Latin America and Caribbean regions.
“This has been a key deal for us given the ascendent nature of the league,” ESPN’s John Skipper said. “We’re quite content we have done an outstanding deal.”
The deal would enhance potential offerings of live games on mobile telephones.
“This is just a natural evolution of our rights,” said Washington Wizards owner Ted Leonsis, the NBA media committee chairman.
The cost of the deal to the networks will be nearly three times what they are now paying.
“We believe it will be meaningfully valuable at the end of the deal,” said Turner President David Levy. AFP
