The NBA is on the brink of cashing in like never before. And the NFL won’t be far behind.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the deals are nearly done between the NBA and a trio of broadcast partners — Amazon, ESPN, and NBC. The total haul will be $76 billion over 11 years.
It will be a 265-percent increase in the current NBA rights fees. And it will cut out Warner Bros. Discovery, leaving TNT without the NBA.
That level of bump in broadcast money surely has gotten the NFL’s attention. Although its existing contracts technically run through 2033, the NFL can pull the plug after the 2029 season. It undoubtedly will.
It’s not like the numbers will get worse for 2030 through 2033. The only question is how much better will they be?
Throw in the very real possibility of an 18th regular-season game and the ongoing rise of streaming, and the NFL will have more inventory to offer and, most importantly, more suitors than packages. That’s the key to getting the most money. Have one or two more bidders than you need, and use them to get the ones who ultimately make the best bids to overpay.
