
TNT matches Amazon NBA rights deal as potential legal armageddon looms
NY Post
TNT and the NBA could be on the precipice of a legal battle royale.
TNT, a division of Warner Bros. Discovery, announced Monday that it intends to match an NBA rights deal to keep broadcasting the league.
ESPN is retaining the NBA Finals in the NBA’s next rights package, and NBC and Amazon had emerged as new partners.
While TNT’s statement did not specify which bid it was matching, a source confirmed to The Post that TNT matched Amazon’s rights package.
“We’re proud of how we have delivered for basketball fans by providing best-in-class coverage throughout our four-decade partnership with the NBA. In an effort to continue our long-standing partnership, during both exclusive and non-exclusive negotiation periods, we acted in good faith to present strong bids that were fair to both parties,” TNT’s statement said.
“Regrettably, the league notified us of its intention to accept other offers for the games in our current rights package, leaving us to proceed under the matching rights provision, which is an integral part of our current agreement and the rights we have paid for under it.”

Suddenly, someone had hit a rewind button and everyone had been transported back seven months. It was early spring instead of late fall, it was broiling hot outside the arena walls and not freezing cold. Everyone was back at TD Garden. There were 19,156 frenzied fans on their feet begging for blood, poised for the kill.












