TNT isn’t going to lose its media rights deal with the NBA without a fight… it just sued the basketball organization, claiming it has a “contractual right” to continue airing its games going forward.
The media company — whose parent organization is Warner Bros. Discovery — filed the lawsuit in New York on Friday… just days after Adam Silver revealed that the NBA is moving forward with Amazon Prime Video.
In the lawsuit, TNT executives claim that the NBA cannot legally accept Amazon’s deal since they say they matched the offer exactly.
“We have taken legal action to enforce our rights,” TNT said in a statement Friday morning. “We firmly believe this is not only our contractual right, but also in the best interest of fans who want to continue watching our industry-leading NBA content with the choice and flexibility we offer them through our widely distributed WBD video distribution platforms — including TNT and Max.”
![TNT sues NBA after losing media rights deal 1 NBA strikes media rights deal with Amazon Prime Video, TNT won't give up](https://thegurumedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/8d504883833c4349a3110e90a0d14334_xxs.jpg)
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NBA strikes media rights deal with Amazon Prime Video, TNT won’t give up
TNT has been broadcasting NBA games since the 1980s… but on Tuesday, the NBA said that will all end in 2025.
The Association was adamant that TNT “did not meet the terms of Amazon Prime Video’s offer.” Shortly thereafter, however, TNT said it had in fact submitted the same offer.
Neither side appears to be willing to give in any time soon… setting up a complicated legal battle from here on out.
About that, Charles Barkley — one of the hosts of TNT’s wildly popular show “Inside the NBA” — slammed the NBA for the way it all went down… accusing Silver’s organization of never giving TNT a fair shake.
“Clearly the NBA wanted to break up with us from the beginning,” the Hall of Famer said. “I’m not sure TNT ever had a chance.”
The NBA has yet to issue a response to the lawsuit.