Barkley slams NBA media deal: They wanted to break up from beginning
Charles Barkley called out the NBA after the league rejected Warner Bros. Discovery's $1.8-billion-per-year offer to continue broadcasting games.
"Clearly, the NBA has wanted to break up with us from the beginning," Barkley said in a statement on social media. "I'm not sure TNT ever had a chance. TNT matched the money, but the league knows Amazon and these tech companies are the only ones willing to pay for the rights when they double in the future.
"The NBA didn't want to piss them off. It's a sad day when owners and commissioners choose money over the fans. It just sucks."
The Association says Warner Bros. Discovery's proposal "did not match the terms of Amazon Prime Video's offer," so they opted to go in a different direction.
TNT Sports, which is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, subsequently claimed that was not the case.
TBS and Warner Bros. Discovery filed a lawsuit Thursday against the NBA, according to a document obtained by The Athletic's Daniel Wallach.
"Given the NBA's unjustified rejection of our matching of a third-party offer, we have taken legal action to enforce our rights," TNT Sports U.S. said in a statement.
"We strongly believe this is not just our contractual right, but also in the best interest of fans who want to keep watching our industry-leading content with the choice and flexibility we offer them through our widely distributed WBD video-first distribution platforms - including TNT and Max."
The NBA later commented on the lawsuit against them.
"Warner Bros. Discovery's claims are without merit and our lawyers will address them," NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement to Joe Reedy of The Associated Press.
The NBA's new 11-year media-rights deal - which also involves Disney and NBC - will kick in next season.
Barkley announced last month that he'll be retiring from his role as a TV analyst on TNT and CBS Sports following the 2024-25 campaign.
The Hall of Famer spent the last 24 years on the Sports Emmy Award-winning "Inside the NBA."