NBA close to signing 11-year TV rights deal

MOSCOW, June 5 The National Basketball Association (NBA) is close to conclude an 11-year contract for the sale of television rights with ESPN, NBC and Amazon for $76 billion, The Wall Street Journal reports.
According to the source, NBC plans to pay 2.5 billion a year for NBA games, some of which will be broadcast on their streaming service. Amazon's $1.8 billion-a-year package will include regular-season and playoff games, a new NBA season tournament, and play-in games.
ESPN will retain the existing package and continue to broadcast the league finals, with payments averaging about 2.6 billion per year, compared with 1.5 billion under the current deal.
““Entertainment is a swamp, and sports is the only solid ground,” the publication quotes former Fox Sports head David Hill.
The deal is expected to take effect after the 2024-25 season and will include WNBA broadcast rights, with an announcement likely to come within weeks of owner approval.