But Charles Barkley was wise enough to demand an out clause in his last contract negotiation, which enables him to become a TV free agent if TNT loses NBA rights. With TNT likely to take the NBA to court, the network’s not out of the game yet. Now, odds are the NBA will be on Prime, not TNT, starting with the 2025–2026 season. As ‘Tuned In’ predicted on May 2, that would instantly send Sir Charles’s star into the stratosphere. The Chuckster could command $20 million-plus offers from the NBA’s new trio of rights partners: newcomer Prime; incumbent ABC/ESPN; and former broadcast partner NBC, which held the rights during the Michael Jordan golden era from 1990 to 2002. ESPN is already eying Barkley and the entire cast of Inside the NBA, say my sources. Ditto for Prime. After the NBA and Prime formally announced the deal, Front Office Sports spoke one-on-one with Jay Marine, global head of sports for Prime Video. Marine spoke carefully about his interest in Barkley and the rest of the Inside the NBA cast. But he professed his strong admiration for Barkley and the show, noting it inspired Prime’s own Thursday Night Football wraparound programming with host Charissa Thompson. -via Front Office Sports / July 26, 2024
About author
Related posts
A five-minute, air-conditioned walk and a key card. That’s all it takes for any Washington Wizards player to go from his hotel room to a... Continue reading
Sam Amick @sam_amick Per sources, the Kings are working out TJ Warren this week. The 31-year-old who averaged a career-high 19.8 points for the Pacers... Continue reading
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports SH: Yeah, I think you just have to try and compartmentalize it. You never really get used to living in a... Continue reading
Al Harrington on his cannabis business: “Right now, we are considered the biggest black-owned cannabis company in the world, essentially. We’re operating out of 12... Continue reading
Tommy Beer @TommyBeer Knicks announce they have signed Marcus Morris Sr. to an Exhibit 9 Contract. That’s the same structure as the Landry Shamet contract:... Continue reading
Add comment