Warner Bros. Discovery and the NBA have reached a settlement that will result in the popular sports show, “Inside the NBA”, moving to ESPN and ABC beginning next season. The parent company of TNT Sports had sued the NBA after the league did not accept their matching offer for one of the packages in the new 11-year media rights deal set to begin in the 2025-26 season.
Despite the move to ESPN and ABC, TNT Sports will continue to produce “Inside the NBA” and the show will still feature Ernie Johnson Jr., Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal. The show is expected to air during key moments in the NBA calendar, such as opening night, Christmas Day, the playoffs, and the NBA Finals.
As part of the settlement, TNT Sports, Bleacher Report, and House of Highlights will have a global content license for NBA content with no rights fee for the next 11 years. Additionally, Warner Bros. Discovery will maintain its relationship with the NBA's digital operations, including NBA.com, for five seasons.
While TNT Sports will no longer air NBA games in the United States, they will still have rights to broadcast games in select countries, as well as show Big 12 football and men's basketball games starting next season. The network will also air College Football Playoff games as part of a sublicense with ESPN.
Turner Sports has had an NBA package since 1984 and games have been on TNT since 1988, but this will come to an end after the current season. Warner Bros. Discovery has been expanding its sports portfolio, acquiring rights to the French Open tennis tournament and Big East basketball earlier this year.