‘Inside the NBA’ to continue on ABC and ESPN as part of TNT-NBA settlement

“Inside the NBA,” TNT’s longtime basketball studio show, will appear on ABC and ESPN as the NBA and Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of TNT Sports, have settled their months-long lawsuit, the NBA and Warner Bros. Discovery announced Monday.

“Inside the NBA” panelists Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith will remain with the show, sources briefed on the agreement said. O’Neal still needs to agree to an extension but has indicated his intention to remain on the program, according to one of the sources.

TNT Sports will receive global rights outside of the United States for “Inside the NBA,” House of Highlights and its parent company, Bleacher Report. TNT will have a full package of regular-season and playoff games outside of the United States, the league announced Monday, along with the news that it will extend its partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) for an additional 11 years.

“Together these agreements ensure fans will continue to enjoy TNT’s Inside the NBA and create tremendous value for our entire portfolio as we accelerate the growth of TNT Sports, Bleacher Report, House of Highlights and our global sports business,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said in a news release. “We are pleased to partner with the NBA and Disney/ESPN, and to have solidified long-term rights and revenue for WBD.”

This marks the first time Bleacher Report and House of Highlights have had global rights. TNT Sports can use highlights and develop shows at no additional costs, according to the sources.

TNT Sports is also slated to exclusively televise Big 12 football (13 games each season) and men’s basketball (15 games each season) beginning with the 2025 season, WBD announced Monday. TNT Sports and ESPN previously agreed to a five-year deal for TNT Sports to present select College Football Playoff games, with TNT showcasing two first-round games beginning in December.

TNT continues to be the home of the NBA this season, along with ESPN. TNT will also continue to produce “Inside the NBA” after it changes networks, per the sources.

“The opportunity to continue the iconic and Emmy Award-winning Inside the NBA is a huge win for basketball fans everywhere,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in the release. “We look forward to building on our longstanding partnership with TNT Sports and working together to promote NBA content across key WBD and NBA platforms.”

TNT Sports sued the NBA in late July after the league rejected its offer to match the terms of Amazon Prime Video’s offer. Less than a week before the lawsuit’s filing, the league announced its 11-year, $77 billion agreements with ESPN, NBC and Amazon Prime Video that will begin in the 2025-26 season.

Since there are no rights fees, TNT Sports is anticipated to be guaranteed $350 million for marketing support and advertising inventory in the first five years of the 11-year deal, according to sources briefed on the agreement.

TNT’s nine-year contract, which expires after the current NBA season, includes backend rights, that from TNT’s point of view, allowed it to say it wanted to keep the NBA and assume Amazon’s deal. When the agreements were signed a decade ago, streaming was on the horizon, but not part of the deals. Silver had long stated he planned on bringing in a streamer for a third package.

Amid the uncertain future for NBA coverage on TNT, Barkley said on NBA TV after Game 4 of the NBA Finals in mid-June that he would retire from TV after the 2024-25 season. Barkley said he had spoken with other networks and planned to stay with TNT until he retires.

But less than two months later, TNT and Barkley announced the Hall of Famer would remain with TNT Sports, even after the loss of its NBA deal.

Barkley, 61, will continue on his 10-year, $210 million contract and is in the third season of the deal. He joined “Inside the NBA” in 2000 after a 16-year NBA career. He has worked with Johnson and Smith since coming to the show. O’Neal joined in 2011, rounding out one of the most beloved sports studio shows.

TNT Sports could develop other shows and projects around Barkley, O’Neal, Smith and Johnson following “Inside the NBA” moving to ABC and ESPN, the sources said.

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(Photo: Andrew Burke-Stevenson / The Boston Globe via Getty Images)