ESPN, Amazon Prime eyeing Charles Barkley, Inside the NBA crew

Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT, Bleacher Report, and House of Highlights have launched an aggressive social media campaign to try to save TNT’s live game rights, as well as Charles Barkley’s iconic Inside the NBA. TNT declined to comment. But the social blitz has several business objectives, according to my sources. First, remind the NBA of TNT’s superlative coverage throughout 40 years. Second, spark a groundswell of support from hoops fans, players, and celebrities who don’t want Inside the NBA, and its Emmy-winning cast of Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson, canceled after a final 2024–2025 season. The offseason marketing blitz even has its own hashtag: #KeepNBAonTNT. -via Front Office Sports / July 25, 2024

Amazon, which will officially stream NBA games starting in 2025, has interest in pursuing members of TNT’s revered “Inside the NBA” studio show, according to Jay Marine, global head of sports for Prime Video. Marine told SBJ that Amazon Prime Video used “Inside the NBA” as a model for its Thursday night NFL pregame, halftime and post-game show, and — should the TNT cast of Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and Ernie Johnson become available — said, “Obviously, there’ll be a lot of interest, and we’ll just have to see how that plays out.’’ -via Sports Business Journal / July 25, 2024

TNT got the contracts Wednesday night, say my sources. So it will have approximately five days, until next Monday, to “match” either Amazon Prime Video’s $1.8 billion–per-year offer or NBC’s $2.5 billion–per-year bid. (Disney’s ABC/ESPN is expected to retain the NBA’s TV “A” package, including the NBA Finals, at a price of $2.8 billion per year.) My sources tell me TNT is far more likely to match Prime’s offer than NBC’s. The network behind Charles Barkley’s Emmy Award–winning Inside the NBA is also holding out hope for a less-expensive fourth rights package that would keep it in the live NBA game business. -via Front Office Sports / July 18, 2024