Everything You Need to Know: Where NBA, WBD Stand in Rights Decision
Irwin Kishner, co-chair of Herrick's Sports Law Group, was quoted in Front Office Sports in an article discussing the recent exercise of matching rights in a media rights deal with the NBA worth almost $2 billion.
The article explains that TNT Sports and parent company Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) "exercised their matching rights and submitted paperwork to the league targeting an 11-year deal with Amazon worth an estimated $1.8 billion per year. The NBA responded that it has “received WBD’s proposal and are in the process of reviewing it.” The proposal is now with the NBA for consideration, which could result in the NBA accepting the proposal, denying the proposal, or a settlement that could take a variety of forms including a monetary agreement or a carve out of rights.
“Matching rights are always some of the most heavily negotiated parts of a rights deal, and there’s always a real push-pull surrounding the development of those terms,” said Irwin.
Irwin noted, “I don’t think it’s going to settle quickly. There’s a lot more to come with this.”
Read the full article in Front Office Sports here. Access may require a subscription.