Warner Bros. Discovery reportedly sues the NBA after 40-year partnership

CNBC initially reported the community’s intention to file a authorized block to the rights deal. Reuters later confirmed the plans. Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) didn’t instantly reply to a request for data.

On the coronary heart of the dispute, in keeping with the stories, is WBD’s matching rights for competing bids. The brand new take care of Amazon, NBC, and ESPN will finish a 40-year partnership with the Warner Bros. holding.

TNT will proceed to air NBA video games over the following 12 months, whereas the 2, once-close events argue the case in court docket. (Video games may even air, for now, on the Max streaming service.)

WBD has leaned closely on its NBA partnership in selling the TNT community and taking a accomplice to court docket may make different leagues hesitant to signal offers with the corporate, analysts warn. Warner, although, apparently feels its matching supply was on par with Amazon and the opposite corporations, which might have required the NBA to stick with its present accomplice.

“We have matched the Amazon offer, as we have a contractual right to do, and do not believe the NBA can reject it,” Warner stated in a press release Wednesday to Selection. “In doing so, they are rejecting the many fans who continue to show their unwavering support for our best-in-class coverage, delivered through the full combined reach of WBD’s video-first distribution platforms — including TNT, home to our four-decade partnership with the league, and Max, our leading streaming service. We think they have grossly misinterpreted our contractual rights with respect to the 2025-26 season and beyond, and we will take appropriate action.”