Data, dollars and dunks: why NBC, Amazon and ESPN paid $76bn for NBA rights
HUGE DEAL: Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics lifts the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. Pic: Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
If there were ever any doubts that the future of television is streaming, the NBA just put them to rest. After months of protracted negotiations over the 11-year media rights deal set to begin in 2025, the NBA announced last night it has signed deals with incumbent Disney’s ESPN, which was already a rights holders, and new partners, NBCUniversal and Amazon.
What’s even more remarkable than the eye-watering $76bn price tag, is just what the deal tacitly predicts for the future of sports coverage.
