Warner Bros. Discovery sues NBA over losing rights to Amazon - ESPN

Warner Bros. Discovery filed a lawsuit against the NBA on Friday, alleging that the league breached its contract by declining its offer for a new media rights deal and instead signing Amazon.

The lawsuit was filed in New York Supreme Court, and a summons obtained by ESPN stated that the NBA has 20 days to respond.

«Given the NBA's unjustified rejection of our matching of a third-party offer, we have taken legal action to enforce our rights,» TNT Sports said in a statement Friday. «We strongly believe this is not just our contractual right, but also in the best interest of fans who want to keep watching our industry-leading NBA content with the choice and flexibility we offer them through our widely distributed WBD video-first distribution platforms — including TNT and Max.»

«Warner Bros. Discovery's claims are without merit and our lawyers will address them,» NBA spokesman Mike Bass said Friday.

The lawsuit comes two days after the NBA signed a new 11-year media rights deal worth nearly $76 billion with Disney, NBC and Amazon Prime Video from the 2025-26 season through the 2035-36 season.

WBD previously said it had matched Amazon's offer at $1.8 billion per year, but the league declined to accept, effectively ending a nearly four-decade business relationship with Turner, which began airing NBA games in the 1984-85 season.

«The digital opportunities with Amazon align perfectly with the global interest in the NBA,» league commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement Wednesday. «And Prime Video's massive subscriber base will dramatically expand our ability to reach our fans in new and innovative ways.»

After that decision was announced, Turner Sports said the league had «grossly misinterpreted our contractual rights» and