TNT Sports nets NBA deal

TNT Sports has agreed a “multi-year” UK and Ireland broadcast deal with the NBA.

This will see the broadcaster air over 250 NBA games live each season, which includes at least nine games-a-week during the regular season as well as select games from the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament, the NBA Playoffs, the Finals, NBA All-Star and the NBA Draft.

There will be more than 40 weekend games in primetime as part of “NBA Saturdays and NBA Sundays,” which features games starting as early as 6pm UK time.  discovery+ will become the streaming home of the NBA in the UK by offering live and on-demand coverage of all games and programming included in the agreement.

In addition to live, there will be highlight shows, original programming, classic games, and TNT Sports’ digital and social platforms will provide fans with on-demand access to premium content throughout the season, including game recaps and highlights.

Sky Sports had previously had the broadcast rights to the NBA. It will continue to also be available tthrough NBA League Pass and NBA TV, which were recently integrated into a redesigned NBA app. The app includes live coverage, highlights, documentaries, lifestyle content, and more. The BBC also aired some NBA games that took place in Europe last season.

Trojan Paillot, VP of sports rights acquisitions and syndication at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: “We are hugely excited to be embarking on this journey with the NBA in the UK and Ireland. Fans watching basketball on our platforms will have much to look forward to, and we’re privileged to be able to lean on the outstanding foundation of TNT’s broadcasting of the NBA in the United States for over 30 years.  When TNT Sports launched in July, we reaffirmed that premium rights were a priority for us, and the NBA falls squarely into that category.  To have the best players in the world, competing in one of the toughest and entertaining competitions in world sport, is extremely exciting as we further extend our proposition in the UK and Ireland.”

NBA Europe and Middle East VP of global media distribution Elsa Memmi added: “We are thrilled to build on our long-standing collaboration with TNT in the U.S. to bring live NBA games and programming to our passionate fans in the UK and Ireland. With regular weekend games in primetime, extensive coverage of our marquee events, and original programming and highlights, fans now have a new home for the NBA.”