Inside the NBA has been saved as Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney reportedly reach license deal
This story has been updated.
After months of concern about the future of Inside the NBA, the beloved television program will reportedly live to see another day.
The Wall Street Journal‘s Joe Flint reported on Saturday night that Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney have reached an agreement to license the basketball show to Disney for broadcast on ESPN and ABC.
The show will start airing on both networks after the 2024-25 season concludes.
CNBC’s Alex Sherman confirmed the deal and said that the Inside the NBA talent will remain TNT Sports employees and can be used on future Warner Bros. Discovery sports programs. That means you’ll still see Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley for March Madness coverage, for example.
This is a huge decision for both media companies that should preserve Inside the NBA for years to come with a new home.
The move comes as Warner Bros. Discovery settled its breach of contract lawsuit with the NBA that Flint reports will keep the company in business with the league for the next decade.
“While Warner Bros. Discovery is losing rights to regular and postseason games for its TNT network after this season, the settlement will give it rights to a significant amount of NBA content domestically and abroad, the people said, and the league will avoid a continued legal battle in court,” Flint reported.
“Warner Bros. Discovery’s efforts to retain some NBA content even after losing its grip on a long-held rights package underscores how valuable live sporting events are and the lengths media companies will go to keep a piece of the action for their cable and streaming customers.”