“Everything about this stinks” – NBA announces Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal’s TNT failed to match Amazon offer, fans react 

Amazon's package includes rights to conference finals, play-in games, and Thursday regular-season games.

“Everything about this stinks” – NBA announces Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal’s TNT failed to match Amazon offer, fans react 

NBA announces Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal’s TNT failed to match Amazon offer

The NBA has announced that it has entered into a long-term arrangement with Amazon, rejecting TNT’s matching offer to retain its broadcast rights. The league stated that Warner Bros. Discovery’s proposal did not match the terms of Amazon’s offer, worth $1.8 billion annually for 11 years.

As a reply, TNT has vowed to fight the NBA’s decision, claiming that it had matched Amazon’s offer and has the contractual right to do so. The network expressed disappointment that the NBA is rejecting its offer, which would have continued their 35-year partnership.

FS Video
We have matched the Amazon offer, as we have a contractual right to do, and do not believe the NBA can reject it… We think they have grossly misinterpreted our contractual rights with respect to the 2025-26 season and beyond, and we will take appropriate action.
TNT said in a statement

The NBA’s decision clears the path for NBC’s return to NBA coverage, starting with the 2025-26 season. ESPN and ABC will retain the league’s primary package, including NBA Finals coverage. Amazon’s package includes rights to conference finals, play in games, and Thursday regular-season games.

The fate of TNT’s iconic studio show “Inside the NBA” remains uncertain. Host Ernie Johnson had stated that he wouldn’t leave TNT if the network lost NBA rights, while Charles Barkley’s stance has been inconsistent.

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The wait has finally been confirmed after it was earlier announced that the NBA will be moving forward with Amazon Prime Video’s media rights offer, effectively ending its partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery (TNT). As a result, the show “Inside the NBA” will come to an end after the 2024-25 season, a decision that has left many admirers of the show devastated.

The show, featuring Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson, has been a staple of NBA coverage since the late 1980s and has become a beloved institution among fans. While Amazon may try to sign the cast and bring the show to its network, the uncertainty surrounding its future has left fans reeling.

It’s official that the bromance between sport’s favorite duo, Barkley and Big Shaq is over. As the NBA navigates this new landscape, fans will be watching closely to see how the changes impact their viewing experience.

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