The media company accused the NBA's refusal to honor its right to match offers from a third party violates its agreement with Turner.
FILE PHOTO: A man walks past an NBA logo at an NBA exhibition in Beijing, China October 8, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File PhotoWarner Bros Discovery and its sports division, Turner Broadcasting System, filed a lawsuit on Friday against the National Basketball Association in New York over the league’s rejection of its matching bid for media rights.
“We strongly believe this is not just our contractual right, but also in the best interest of fans who want to keep watching our industry-leading NBA content,” TNT Sports said in a statement.The NBA announced on Wednesday that it had awarded Walt Disney’s ESPN, Comcast-owned NBCUniversal and Amazon.com rights to carry NBA games in an 11-year deal valued at $77 billion.
Turner argues it has a vested interest in retaining the rights to carry the NBA’s games, saying it has invested billions of dollars for the distribution rights and hundreds of millions of dollars more in production and talent, including its Emmy-winning “Inside the NBA” show with Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith.
Turner said the NBA presented Turner with the deal terms it was willing to accept from Amazon for the rights to stream 64 regular season games, and at least 30 playoff games. On Monday, the media company responded with a letter stating it would match Amazon’s offer and would agree to “the same material terms and conditions.”The lawsuit may well hinge on the court’s interpretation of matching rights, said Emarketer senior analyst Ross Benes.
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