NEW details of the NBA’s historic television deal with Amazon have been revealed – including what type of tickets execs will get to games.
The NBA will begin an 11-year deal with the streaming giants starting next season worth $20 billion.
The NBA will move to Amazon Prime as part of a new TV deal next season[/caption]
Amazon will be required to promote NBA during its Thursday Night Football NFL coverage[/caption]
And the $1.8bn-a-year contract has some finer details which have emerged this week.
The NBA is locked in a legal battle with Warner Bros. Discovery over the new deal with Amazon.
Warner Bros. Discovery claim to have had a matching rights agreement in place which should’ve allowed them to continue as a broadcaster.
And that showdown has led to some points of Amazon’s contract with the NBA being revealed.
According to Puck’s Eriq Gardner, this includes everything from game tickets to new technology.
Amazon execs will be able to secure prime seats to games, the contract said.
It also added, “NBA will also provide Licensee with [redacted] tickets to other premium NBA events (e.g., All-Star Game, NBA Finals), including suite(s), courtside seats, premium hospitality access (e.g., courtside).”
Amazon will also be required to create a new theme song for the coverage to differentiate it from other media partners.
But certain points on what Warner Bros. Discovery could not match were also revealed.
One of those was for NBA games to be promoted during Amazon Prime’s NFL coverage.
The streaming giant holds the rights to Thursday Night Football.
The NBA logo will also feature on packaging for Amazon Prime deliveries made across the nation.
Another key point will allow Amazon to adopt new technologies such as virtual reality with the NBA’s consent.
Amazon will be one of three NBA broadcasters over the next 11 years.
They will broadcast 66 regular-season games as part of the deal which runs to the end of the 2035-36 season.
The contract includes Friday night double headers, Saturday afternoon games and a game on Black Friday.
Amazon will also add Thursday night games from January onwards, after the NFL regular-season.
And it will also be the home of the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship game of the NBA Cup.
Prime’s contract also covers the entire Play-In Tournament and one third of the first and second round playoff games.
Amazon will also broadcast one of the two conference finals for six of the 11 seasons.
ESPN maintained it’s rights deal with the league for the next term, while the NBA will also be back on NBC.
