Fox Sports Reportedly Has Eye on NBA TV Rights

Posted by | 03/05/2013 at 8:49 pm

The same day Fox Sports officially announced the launch of Fox Sports 1, the network confirmed interest in both the NBA and additional NFL rights.

Fox Sports EVP Bill Wanger said Tuesday that Fox Sports “is already eying rights” to the NBA, according to a report in The Los Angeles Times. The NBA’s current television contracts with Disney (ESPN/ABC) and Time Warner (TNT) expire at the end of the 2015-16 season.

The NBA is the highest-profile sports property up for bid between now and the twenties. FOX is the only major network to have never televised NBA games, and the NBA is the only major league FOX has never televised.

Wanger also indicated that FOX is “ready to pounce” in the event that the NFL creates an additional package of games.

Beyond the NBA and NFL, Fox Sports co-president Eric Shanks mentioned tennis’ U.S. Open and the Big Ten college sports conference as “appealing properties whose contracts expire in the next several years” (AP, 3/3). FOX bid on rights to Wimbledon in 2011, and News Corporation is the parent company of Big Ten Network.

(Tuesday’s news from The Los Angeles Times, The Associated Press)

  • http://twitter.com/TwiTati Tati

    Meh, NBA better stay with ESPN. However, I wouldn’t mind seeing them move the TNT crew over to FOX. NBA Allstar would benefit greately being televised on broadcast just like any other major sports.

  • http://twitter.com/NYCKING BIG ED

    I see NBA staying on w/ it current partners. But anything is possible. Who would have thought 10 years ago NBA go to most games on cable.

  • Salacious Crumb

    Tuesday Night Football !! LOL

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Andrea-Cavalli/757338131 Andrea Cavalli

    “the NBA is the only major league FOX has never televised.”

    —————————————-

    There’s always a first time and this would be the perfect time for FOX to get its hands on the NBA given the league’s strong popularity as of late. Plus, I personally like changes every now and then so a new network televising games would be welcome to me.

    I also believe the NBA will find a way to get a google/youtube package. It’s coming.

  • Sam Rosem

    UGH!

    Keep FOX Sports away from the NBA please they would be way worse than ESPN/ABC. If this was the 90s when FOX Sports was awesome then I would be pushing for the deal to happen.

    NBA needs to stay with Turner for as long as possible, they have great flexibility with them broadcasting playoff games and the NBA TV package.

    Now on the broadcast side I like anybody else would love to have NBC get the rights back but if not hopefully CBS or ABC does everything they can to block FOX away from this deal. I already have to deal with the messed up coverage from NFC on FOX games now if they had the NBA that would suck.