Apple and Amazon Express Interest in Purchasing NBA Streaming Rights

The broadcasting right of the National Basketball Association (NBA) is supposedly the talk of the town right now. In a report, NBC is said to be eyeing the rights following two full decades after Disney and Turner Sports scooped the rights. However, Apple and Amazon are reported to be interested in the rights as well.

NBCUniversal has supposedly spoken to the NBA regarding their interest in purchasing the broadcasting rights of the games, according to CNBC. It’s said that NBC Sports is hoping to acquire a package that could be leveraged to air playoff games on NBC’s broadcast network. Plus, some of the regular games may also be positioned to be exclusive to the broadcaster’s streaming service Peacock. However, NBC isn’t alone.

The report continues and states unnamed sources have said Apple and Amazon are also eyeing the streaming rights to the NBA games. Apple has been steadily acquiring the streaming right to certain avenues of sporting events. For instance, Friday Night Baseball is available on Apple TV+. Apple also has a deal in place with Major League Soccer. Amazon, on the other hand, has a deal with the NBA to stream its games in Brazil.

Of course, the interest of all respective parties may not lead to anything. Formal discussions may not take place until Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of Turner Sports, agree to waive their exclusive negotiation windows. It’s said that the two companies hold exclusive rights until April 2024. Following this time, any interested company may approach the NBA with a proposition in order to acquire broadcasting rights. Alternatively, the NBA could very well extend its current deal with Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery rather than hear out any other offers.

NBC held the broadcasting rights for the NBA for multiple long stints. The first was between 1954 and 1962. The company acquired the rights down the line in 1990 and held onto them for 12 seasons until 2002.