Warner Bros. Discovery has sued the National Basketball Association (NBA), to force the league to accept its bid to match Amazon’s offer for broadcasting rights.
The lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court comes after the NBA announced new media rights agreements with Disney, Comcast, and Amazon.
The deals are set to begin in the 2025-26 season and are valued at about $77 billion over 11 years.
It leaves Warner Bros. Discovery, an existing rights holder, without the NBA’s broadcasting rights post the next season.
Warner Bros. Discovery said: “Given the N.B.A.’s unjustified rejection of our matching of a third-party offer, we have taken legal action to enforce our rights.
“We strongly believe this is not just our contractual right, but also in the best interest of fans who want to keep watching our industry-leading N.B.A. content.”
NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said: “Warner Bros. Discovery’s claims are without merit, and our lawyers will address them.”
The controversy arose during Warner Bros. Discovery’s exclusive negotiating period, during which Amazon was invited to enter negotiations at Warner Bros. Discovery’s request.
However, negotiations with Warner Bros. Discovery stalled over last-minute changes demanded by the NBA, and the exclusive window closed without a deal.
The NBA subsequently pursued agreements with other partners.
Warner Bros. Discovery, which has broadcasted NBA games on its TNT network since the 1980s, was excluded as the NBA moved forward with Disney, Comcast, and Amazon.
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Warner Bros. Discovery intended to exercise its matching rights under its current nine-year contract.
“Warner Bros. Discovery’s claims are without merit, and our lawyers will address them”
However, the NBA said Warner Bros. Discovery’s offer was not comparable to Amazon’s, citing significant differences in their proposals.
The NBA highlighted Amazon’s plan to stream games exclusively and its global reach, which Warner Bros. Discovery could not match.
Amazon placed three years of payments in escrow, while Warner Bros. Discovery provided a letter of credit to guarantee payments.
The relationship between the NBA and Warner Bros. Discovery has reportedly been strained in recent years.
