Warner Bros. Discovery, hoping to make a last-minute basket, said it sent paperwork to the NBA it says matched one of the offers the league has accepted as part of its new television rights package.
Sources said WBD has chosen to match the offer Amazon has made to stream games on Prime Video, worth an average of $1.8 billion a year.
The deadline for matching an offer was Monday.
“We have reviewed the offers and matched one of them,“ WBD’s TNT Sports said in a statement. “This will allow fans to keep enjoying our unparalleled coverage, including the best live game productions in the industry and our iconic studio shows and talent, while building on our proven 40-year commitment for many more years.
"Our matching paperwork was submitted to the league today. We look forward to the NBA executing our new contract," TNT Sports said.
TNT Sports — the former Turner Sports — has been televising NBA games since 1984, with the games airing on the then-Superstation WTBS before moving to TNT starting in 1989. As part of its last contract, it had the right to match other offers.
The NBA Board of Governors has already approved a deal renewing its relationship with The Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN. NBCUniversal swooped in to grab a package of games with a bid of $2.5 billion annually after WBD balked at a $2.1 billion price tag during its exclusive negotiating window with the league..
The league created a third package for Amazon. The package that was agreed to cost less in the first season than what WBD is currently paying the NBA.
Amazon and the NBA have reportedly constructed their pact to make it difficult for cash-strapped WBD to match. According to Bill Simmons of The Ringer, Amazon has agreed to put three years worth of rights fees in escrow, a sum it would be difficult for already debt-laden WBD to match.
The NBA could not be reached for comment on whether or not it considered WBD's bid a match for Amazon's.
“We’re proud of how we have delivered for basketball fans by providing best-in-class coverage throughout our four-decade partnership with the NBA,“ TNT Sports said. “In an effort to continue our long-standing partnership, during both exclusive and nonexclusive negotiation periods, we acted in good faith to present strong bids that were fair to both parties.”
