The NBA is close to announcing its long-rumored TV rights deal with ESPN, NBC, and Amazon, The Athletic reported on Tuesday. The deal is expected to net the league $76 billion over 11 years, with the TV networks and online giant divvying up regular season and playoff games. There’s an outside chance that TNT, an incumbent, could still push Amazon aside in the deal, the publication reported but, as currently constructed, Amazon is expected to be the NBA's new partner.
For the tech giant, the deal helps fill a hole in its already-giant advertising business, while serving as a nice addition for Prime members who are sports fans but who might occasionally dabble with the thought of dropping the service. The risks on the other hand, whether monetary or related to internal politics, appear relatively minimal for a company valued at $2 trillion. If you’re Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, you probably do this deal 10 times out of 10, even at the steep cost of a reported $1.8 billion a year.
