Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Report: New NBA, TV Deal Could Be Worth $2B

The current television rights deal of the NBA is nearing its end in 2016 when it's set to expire. And according to cbssports.com, the current agreement between NBA and broadcasting partners ESPN and Turner currently brings in $930 million a year to broadcast the respective packages of nationally televised games. Many have expected the next deal to more than double, with ratings and the interest surrounding the league being much higher than it was in 2007 when the current deal was signed.

Sports Business Journal is reporting an extension and increase to the current deal between the NBA and ESPN and Turner is nearly completed. The new deal could be agreed to and announced in full early into the 2014-15 season and would be worth more than $2 billion annually. As of right now, ESPN pays $485 million a year and Turner pays $445 million annually to broadcast NBA games.

The NBA and its network partners expect to reach an agreement in principle on new long-term media deals by the start of the regular season, according to sources on all sides of the discussions.

Talks have progressed so rapidly that details are emerging on a massive agreement that would see the league's annual rights fee more than double, with ESPN and Turner combining to pay more than $2 billion per year on average. One source said ESPN already has committed to pay “well over” $1 billion per year, and Turner is not far behind for a media rights extension that would kick in with the 2016-17 season.

No comments:

Post a Comment