If you’re a 90’s baby like me, watching the Olympics has evolved for you. There are more possibilities, devices, and ways you can watch the Games. What has remained consistent despite all of this is that NBC has always remained home to the Olympic Games.
The Olympic rings and NBC’s logo put together will forever have an indelible mark in our minds. We don’t remember a world where CBS was the home to one of the Olympics’ most epic sagas between Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding. We can hardly fathom that ABC aired “The Miracle on Ice.”
This same mindset exists when it comes to the NBA on TNT.
There are so many memories, great moments, and unbelievable feats that were accomplished on the court and in Studio J in Atlanta that make the connection between the NBA and TNT so special in our hearts and minds. We have a year to adjust to the idea that the NBA looks like moving on from TNT in 2025. Until then, some questions remain about where the NBA’s new media landscape goes from here.
1. What is the future of Inside the NBA?
The only person we’ve heard talk about this in length is the leader of the pack, Mr. Charles Barkley. Last Friday, Barkley revealed to The Dan Patrick Show and The Athletic that he’s willing to listen to other networks and their respective pitches and that he’s already been in conversations with all three networks.
According to Barkley, the problem lies in the glue that holds the show together – Ernie Johnson.
From Barkley’s point of view, Johnson won’t leave Turner and won’t go to another city to do another show besides his hometown of Atlanta. At 67, with the storied career Johnson has achieved, he has every right to mark his territory as he sees fit. Multiple scenarios could play out but we won’t really know potential outcomes until the NBA and WBD settle their lawsuit.
Atlanta has an influx of television studios across the region besides WBD’s campus. Tyler Perry has his own studio complex, Gray Television recently built a campus and countless other production companies and media outlets have formed mini-empires in Atlanta. There is no reason none of the three outlets couldn’t rent out a studio, hire some of Turner’s behind-the-scenes crew, and try their best to recreate the magic formed at WBD.
If the NBA and WBD aren’t able to work together at all by the end of this lawsuit, my prediction is that NBC or ESPN will rent out one of these studios. They might use Omaha Productions as a conduit between the corporate entity and the Inside the NBA staff given Omaha’s success in letting personalities be themselves while also quickly becoming a trusted partner in production among mainstream sports media.
Omaha has also worked with both NBC and ESPN and has ironically had some of its work featured on Inside before (Draymond’s controversial confession video after fighting Jordan Poole during practice). If the NBA and WBD find a way to be more friendly, Amazon will partner with WBD to produce their games and bring back Inside the NBA onto Prime. Amazon and WBD are already sharing crew members during their upcoming voyage into NASCAR so there is already a working relationship there. Amazon also doesn’t have the apparatus of producing games that WBD does and to be frank, WBD wouldn’t mind paying down their debt with some extra cash on hand while keeping as many members of their crew employed as possible. It’s a win-win for everyone.
2. What’s next for Warner Bros. Discovery?
Warner Bros. Discovery needed to hold on to the NBA to give Comcast, Fox, or one of the FAANG companies an extra incentive to want to acquire them and make David Zaslav look like the master kingpin of media. Without the NBA, Xfinity will likely ask WBD in its next negotiations to pay less for the right to air TNT on its systems. WBD will be left at the prom without a date which could force them to split or sell to private equity at a loss. While their lawsuit against the NBA is seen as a longshot, WBD could still receive a payout as some kind of settlement to finally provide a resolution. Where could WBD turn next?
Three letters. UFC.
Dana White has already confirmed he wouldn’t mind multiple TV partners for the latest UFC contract. WBD needs to team up with ESPN to make Venu Sports the official home of the UFC. UFC fans have already proven with ESPN+’s success that they’re willing to buy as much product as necessary to see every fight. Purchase the rights to UFC, Power Slap, and any future promotions Dana White and Endeavor will be involved with. It’ll provide an audience that is willing to buy and will hurt smaller rivals who are taking up market share that depends on combat sports.
3. Will any NBA legends be willing to get back in the saddle?
Michael Jordan created his legacy on NBC. Some of his biggest games were captured by NBC cameras. The network is already playing to nostalgia promoting the NBA’s return with classic videos from 90s broadcasts. They’ve also reacquired “Roundball Rock” as a theme song.
Could NBC convince Jordan to do three to five games a year in some capacity to continue the theme of mixing nostalgia with a new identity?
With the potential loss of Inside the NBA and the lack of affinity among fans for ESPN’s studio crew, what better way to draw irregular sports watchers and the average viewer who hasn’t watched pro basketball for a long time than bringing in Jordan to give his takes on the current state of the game?
If you’ve watched “The Last Dance,” you know Jordan doesn’t hold back. For a documentary like that to even be created with his approval, it’s clear he still cares about how his legacy is perceived. Through his various media ventures and longevity in the game, LeBron James is slowly catching up to Michael Jordan in terms of worldwide name recognition, fame, and fortune. Having Jordan appear during NBA Tip-Off, All-Star Weekend, a couple of playoff games, and a conference final giving his takes and re-telling old stories will be viral manna and keep his legacy alive in the TikTok era.
While we’re at it, let’s bring Ahmad Rashad back out of retirement to get stories out of current players and legends of the game. Can NBC make amends with Bob Costas and convince him to write essays during major marquee events? If acquiring Inside doesn’t work for any of the networks, the second best option for a reunion on Amazon or NBC would easily be Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy. Bill Simmons and Jalen Rose could also play a fun role in doing some studio work or alt casts throughout the year.
Meanwhile, Amazon has Al Michaels, an underrated NBA play-by-play man, on their roster. Would he be willing to come back for a couple of games a year?
4. Will any aging NBA stars be interested in launching their broadcasting careers?
LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Draymond Green have major media aspirations. Each of them has also already accomplished major milestones in the media world. Once that final buzzer sounds and it’s time for them to hang up the sneakers, could we see any of them in the studio, calling games or hosting an alt-cast? LeBron has already hosted NFL alt-casts for Amazon while Draymond has been regularly featured on TNT. Who will be the first to make their imprint on one of the new rightsholders’ coverage?
5. Will an alt-cast emerge with as much staying power as the ManningCast?
As of now, the ManningCast contributes almost an extra 1 million viewers every time it airs during Monday Night Football. Is there a former coach or player interesting and well-known enough to be the NBA version of Peyton and Eli? Stephen A. Smith and Kevin Hart have triedbut they haven’t really made a major dent. Who’s next?
6. What happens to NBA TV?
As it stands right now, NBA TV is operated by TNT Sports. It is clear from the latest media rights deal that there may not be any room for the network to televise regular season games next year. Each of the rightsholders has a day to themselves. If WBD and the NBA come to a resolution, we could see NBA TV simulcasting RSN games nationwide on nights Amazon and Peaco*ck are airing games along with prompts and teasers for viewers to switch over to the streaming services for games or to purchase League Pass through Amazon.
Maybe Inside finds a home on NBA TV as well.
The smart money is that NBA TV goes back to being operated by the league. They’ll move their studios to New York or give the operations contract to MLB Network. The league will use the network to push viewers to their rightsholders, who will contribute programming to the network. NBA TV will air alt-casts to NBC and ESPN games once in a while. But the network will mostly be home to replays, classic games, documentaries, video podcasts and highlights shows until it becomes too expensive to operate and shuts down.
Playoff games are all but guaranteed to be out. If the NBA acquires a stake in ESPN, it wouldn’t be a shocker to see lower-level college basketball find a home on NBA TV along with lots of youth basketball or international leagues (including BAL which already airs on NBA TV) and the network can frame itself as the place where the league’s future stars play.
7. Does Amazon start daily sports programming?
With the acquisition of the NBA, Amazon now has enough pull to be considered one of the big dogs of sports television. As all of the other networks are doing, Amazon will use its sports programming to promote its entertainment programming. Peaco*ck recently revealed that a majority of subscribers who came for the Chiefs-Dolphins playoff game stayed for their entertainment programming.
But what about fans who want to hear more sports talk and analysis? Amazon needs to find a way to keep those viewers around. They’ve already tried a sports talk network together with Embassy Row (producers of GMFB) but that didn’t work because it was hard to find, Amazon barely promoted the network and they didn’t connect it to TNF at all.
In this next chapter, Amazon needs to start a FAST channel that includes a mix of their sports shows and docs that already exist along with some talking heads that viewers can turn to for analysis before and after a game. Then, sublicense podcasts/radio shows/personalities that are already popular and make them the faces of Amazon Sports. Make sure they’re also seen during marquee programming and give viewers a reason to stay on the platform beyond just tuning in for a game.
Ed Note: Jessie Karangu is a multimedia journalist who graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in journalism and a minor in African American Studies in 2016. Karangu has experience working for various organizations such as USA Today, Sinclair Broadcasting, WUSA9, Barrett Media and CNN among other organizations.
