If you weren't a fan of the NFL's Wild Card game on Peacock, here's more bad news: The NBA is committing heavily to streaming.
amazon agreed to the framework of a deal with the NBA to stream a significant portion of games on Prime Video beginning with the 2025-26 season, according to a report from The Athletic.
The games will be regular season and postseason, but could even include the Conference Finals. The agreement between the two parties is expected to last a decade.
The deal is not a surprise as it has been reported for years that amazon (AMZN) has been interested in being part of the NBA's upcoming media rights deal. The league's current deal with Disney (DES) ABC/ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery's (W.B.D.) Turner Sports expires after next season.
amazon has also been aggressive in pursuing live sports rights, particularly with its control of the NFL's “Thursday Night Football,” which it is reportedly paying about $1 billion annually to maintain through 2033.
ESPN is expected to retain its rights with the NBA, as Puck reported Thursday that a framework has also been agreed upon between the two.
But according to The Athletic, amazon's arrival leaves WBD in a battle with Comcast. (CMCSA) NBC, who hope to create a package that brings NBA games to both their television networks and their streaming service, Peacock.
Financial data has not yet been disclosed on the amazon or ESPN deals, but the incumbents combined to pay about $2.7 billion annually for the rights. Reports have indicated that the NBA is looking to double, or even triple, that figure for this next deal.
