It's only been a few months since the NFL received a lot of criticism for streaming a playoff game exclusively.
Fans were angry and Charles Barkley even referred to the league as “greedy pigs.”
The NFL received a big payday and reportedly got around $100 million from Comcast. (CMCSA) the parent company of NBCUniversal and Peacock, to broadcast the NFL Wild Card game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins.
The results made it difficult to justify networks moving away from exclusively broadcast events. Nearly 23 million fans watched the game, making it the most-watched live-streamed event in United States history.
Related: Experts weigh in on the NBA's next media deal and whether ESPN can fend off amazon and Apple
amazon (AMZN) which has been streaming “Thursday Night Football” on Prime Video for the past two seasons, is expected to stream the exclusive NFL playoff game for next season.
It has been widely reported that streaming could extend to the NBA, especially since the NBA's media rights deal with Disney. (DES) ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery (W.B.D.) Turner ends after the 2024-25 season.
The NBA's exclusive negotiating window with the two parties ends today. A report from The Athletic said the two sides could “very well retain” the NBA rights, although another report from CNBC said a deal is unlikely to be reached before the 11:59 p.m. deadline. Eastern Time.
The Athletic reported that a third or even potentially a fourth player could join the deal, with names like amazon and NBC being major players. Google (GOOG) via YouTube, Netflix (NFLX) and apple (AAPL) It could also be in the mix.
Related: Peacock was a big winner with its streaming NFL playoff game, defying social media backlash
Experts are confident that streaming will be a major factor in the NBA's next media rights deal, so it makes sense that the league is looking outside of ESPN and TNT. ESPN will launch its streamer in the next few years, while Warner Bros. has Max, but neither has established itself in live sports streaming like amazon has with Prime Video or NBC has with Peacock.
Another major development in the NBA's media rights deal according to The Athletic's report is that a streamer like amazon could even broadcast the league's top games, including the NBA Finals.
The report says a streamer could obtain the rights to the NBA Finals or conference finals games “at some point” during the period of a long-term deal.
The NBA's last media rights deal was for nine years, so assuming the same length, an exclusively broadcast NBA Finals game could happen in the 2030s. But what seems clearer is that The NBA is seriously exploring streaming as a major part of its next deal.
Related: Streaming and the future of sports: why companies are betting big on broadcast rights
