Mister Meaner
formerly super producer j
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All Things Sports Media Thread!!
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by RyGuy45,
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He needs to be suspended & license revoked
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NBA formalizing deals with Disney, Amazon, NBC
The NBA is formalizing written contracts with Disney, NBC and Amazon this week, with sources calling it the final stage of media rights negotiations that may inevitably lead incumbent Warner Bros. Discovery to take legal action.
Industry sources believe ESPN will ultimately pay $2.8B annually -- up from a reported $2.6B -- for the league's "A" package, which includes the NBA Finals, a conference final, weekly primetime games, the WNBA and likely shared international rights. NBC's proposed "B" package is believed to be now worth $2.6B annually -- up from a reported $2.5B -- and would probably include a "Basketball Night in America" on Sunday nights following the NFL season, a total of two primetime windows a week, conference semifinals and a conference final. Amazon's deal is believed to be worth between $1.8B and $2B and would likely include the Emirates In-Season Tournament, the SoFi Play-In Tournament, first-round playoff games, the WNBA and international rights.
The final tweaks -- which sources said have been fluid and changing almost every other day -- are expected to be finalized in the coming days or week, at which time sources said all three networks will go to their respective boards to have the written bids ratified. At that point, sources said the league will take NBC's contract to WBD to see if WBD CEO David Zaslav is able to match it in "total value."
Considering WBD is $40B in debt and does not have the over-the-air infrastructure of NBC, sources believe WBD would need to pay more than $2.6B to match the deal and that NBC's overall bid could be structured in a way (for example, multiple weekly over-the-air games) that makes it virtually impossible for WBD to equal. Sources said Zaslav would then essentially have three choices: pass on the NBA, drastically overpay for the "B" package or take the NBA to court over the definition of a match.
In that event, sources said the league will contend a match is not dollar-for-dollar and that, specifically, a match would need to include the same ad revenue, broadcast windows, etc. -- something WBD apparently disagrees with. Sources said the NBA is prepping its lawyers for a possible inquisition or lawsuit.
It is also becoming clearer how WBD reached this perilous point in negotiations. During Disney's and WBD's exclusive negotiating window from mid-March to April 22, industry sources said Disney was firm about not letting the "A" package go on the open market. So it doubled its old rights fee of $1.4B annually to $2.8B.
But those same sources said Zaslav -- whose company paid $1.2B for NBA media rights a decade ago -- believed he would only have to pay between $1.8B and $2.1B to retain the "B" package this time around and refused to double to $2.4B. That is why the bidding ventured into the marketplace and why NBC leaped in. If WBD does, in fact, lose the NBA, 2024-25 will be its final season under the current deal.
The NBA is formalizing written contracts with Disney, NBC and Amazon this week, with sources calling it the final stage of media rights negotiations that may inevitably lead incumbent Warner Bros. Discovery to take legal action.
Industry sources believe ESPN will ultimately pay $2.8B annually -- up from a reported $2.6B -- for the league's "A" package, which includes the NBA Finals, a conference final, weekly primetime games, the WNBA and likely shared international rights. NBC's proposed "B" package is believed to be now worth $2.6B annually -- up from a reported $2.5B -- and would probably include a "Basketball Night in America" on Sunday nights following the NFL season, a total of two primetime windows a week, conference semifinals and a conference final. Amazon's deal is believed to be worth between $1.8B and $2B and would likely include the Emirates In-Season Tournament, the SoFi Play-In Tournament, first-round playoff games, the WNBA and international rights.
The final tweaks -- which sources said have been fluid and changing almost every other day -- are expected to be finalized in the coming days or week, at which time sources said all three networks will go to their respective boards to have the written bids ratified. At that point, sources said the league will take NBC's contract to WBD to see if WBD CEO David Zaslav is able to match it in "total value."
Considering WBD is $40B in debt and does not have the over-the-air infrastructure of NBC, sources believe WBD would need to pay more than $2.6B to match the deal and that NBC's overall bid could be structured in a way (for example, multiple weekly over-the-air games) that makes it virtually impossible for WBD to equal. Sources said Zaslav would then essentially have three choices: pass on the NBA, drastically overpay for the "B" package or take the NBA to court over the definition of a match.
In that event, sources said the league will contend a match is not dollar-for-dollar and that, specifically, a match would need to include the same ad revenue, broadcast windows, etc. -- something WBD apparently disagrees with. Sources said the NBA is prepping its lawyers for a possible inquisition or lawsuit.
It is also becoming clearer how WBD reached this perilous point in negotiations. During Disney's and WBD's exclusive negotiating window from mid-March to April 22, industry sources said Disney was firm about not letting the "A" package go on the open market. So it doubled its old rights fee of $1.4B annually to $2.8B.
But those same sources said Zaslav -- whose company paid $1.2B for NBA media rights a decade ago -- believed he would only have to pay between $1.8B and $2.1B to retain the "B" package this time around and refused to double to $2.4B. That is why the bidding ventured into the marketplace and why NBC leaped in. If WBD does, in fact, lose the NBA, 2024-25 will be its final season under the current deal.
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Speaking of NBA on NBC, was wondering what peter vescey was up to so had to Google him. Didn't know he was 80, time flies.
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He's pretty active on Twitter.
He was like the Woj of the late 90s-early 00s, with some mean commentary.
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Didn't even know Werder was back with ESPN after being laid off a few years ago.
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I just hope NBC/Peacock improve on things once they take over. It definitely won't be like it was in the 90s during the Jordan era. We won't be getting weekend tripleheaders but probably just split coverage like it is know between ESPN and TNT. Then NBC will prob have some playoff series as Peacock exclusive and their pre/post shows likely only Peacock also. In the modern era things will just be different. I'm just hoping we get some super app where everything is hosted eventually (I.E. Peacock, Max, Netflix, Prime, ESPN, etc) as going from your standard OTA networks to an app is a major PITA when you want to go between multiple sports/networks.
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Whitlock is sad man. Just lost.
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Whitlock so bad even Travis Clay and Outkick didn't want to work with him anymore 
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Wonder if wilbon and kornheiser are still close friends with whitlock. I remember he used to guest-host pti frequently.
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T0INE
formerly toine2983
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Watch PTI sparringly nowadays but they usually have Pablo Torre or Frank Isola guest host.
T0INE
formerly toine2983
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pablo recently said tony invited him over for dinner. While eating steak tony was telling him about the people he hated at espn.
T0INE
formerly toine2983
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pablo recently said tony invited him over for dinner. While eating steak tony was telling him about the people he hated at espn.
Yeah he loves Pablo.
Tony calls him his "son" anytime he co-hosting PTI with him.
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The Filipino son he always wanted. tony said he’s 75 now. Old AF.
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