TNT Extends Deals For ‘Inside the NBA’ Crew; What it Could Mean for Live Sports at Warner Bros. Discovery

Get ready for a lot more of the “Inside the NBA” crew, TNT viewer. The network has reportedly reached deals with all four hosts that go far beyond TNT’s current distribution deal with the NBA. Analyst Charles Barkley’s deal is 10 years in length, while the length of contracts for Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal were not disclosed, according to reporting from Sports Business Journal.

Currently, Turner’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery has a deal with the NBA to air games until the end of the 2024-25 season and TNT’s financial commitment to the hosts seems to signify that the company is confident in its ability to retain those rights past the end of the current deal.

It also means that not only is WBD confident that it can keep the NBA rights, but it is also confident that TNT will continue to be a home for live sports into the future. Speculation has been rife surrounding the Turner Networks since it was rumored that WBD was considering using the channels as a repository for older HBO Originals.

Those rumors have been lent credence by the fact that WBD is in the midst of a cost-cutting phase while it attempts to find $3 billion in savings. But the extension of the “Inside the NBA” hosts clearly signifies that whatever else the company has planned for TNT, live sports is definitely a part of the picture.

But could that picture include more games offered on streaming? The NBA does not currently have a comprehensive streaming package available, and when its rights deal expires with WBD after the 2024-25 season it has plenty of options. If WBD is that invested in keeping the NBA’s rights, it may want to show the league it has plans to expand streaming offerings of games.

In March, WarnerMedia exec Peter Scott was asked if WBD would consider streaming more NBA games on HBO Max. Scott stated that the company does see HBO Max as an excellent potential showcase for live sports.

“It might be a destination down the road to put NBA games on HBO Max, I think there’s no question about it,” Scott said. “If we can work a deal out where the cable operators are cool with us doing that, I think you have to look at that as a potential place. And we’ll have to pay some incremental amount to be able to distribute on HBO Max.”

Last week, reports began circulating that Amazon was interested in bringing a substantial NBA package to Prime Video upon the next round of rights negotiations, and on Monday, the tech giant announced that it would broadcast nearly 90 games in Brazil this season. So, WBD will certainly have competition when it comes time to negotiate a new rights agreement, whether putting games on HBO Max is in the cards or not.

Another option for WBD would be to make TNT a dedicated sports channel in the future. In addition to the NBA, the Turner Networks are home to NHL and MLB games and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament (which also airs on TruTV). The Turner Networks also own the rights to AEW wrestling, PGA golf, Grand Slam tennis tournaments, and the Tour de France. WBD also has a huge sports footprint in Europe, holding the European broadcast rights to the Premier League, the Olympics, the UEFA Champions League and more.

WBD may potentially be bringing content from its sports and culture website Bleacher Report to TV, as well. If it wanted to transform TNT into a sports-only network, it would certainly have the ammunition to do so.

Whatever CEO David Zaslav’s plan is for live sports at Warner Bros. Discovery, it certainly seems that on the eve of a new NBA season the company is making it very clear to the entire broadcasting industry that it has no intention to relinquishing the rights any time soon.