The NBA has rejected Warner Bros. Discovery’s effort to match Amazon’s bid to acquire one of the league’s media rights packages.
In a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, the NBA said WBD’s proposal “did not match the terms of Amazon Prime Video’s offer,” paving the way for the league to enter into an official agreement with Amazon. The NBA elaborated that its deal with Amazon supports its “primary objective” to “maximize the reach and accessibility of games for our fans.”
The statement concluded with the NBA thanking Turner Sports — which has since been rebranded twice since the formation of Warner Bros. Discovery — for its NBA coverage. It was followed within minutes by the official announcement of the new NBA media rights deals through press releases by the NBA, Disney, Comcast and Amazon.
Though the NBA statement — and subsequent announcement — gave all indications of the matter being closed, there was no expectation that the league would have the final word. WBD released a statement later Wednesday saying that it does “not believe” the NBA can reject its match, characterizing the league’s decision as “rejecting the many fans who continue to show their unwavering support for our best-in-class coverage,” arguing that the league has “grossly misinterpreted our contractual rights,” and promising to “take appropriate action.”
It has long been expected that WBD would mount a legal challenge or negotiate a settlement with the league.
