TNT’s Inside the NBA is at stake and so are age-old partnerships and appearances on the show. Notably, TNT’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery will lose its NBA rights after the 2024-25 season. This means that broadcasting rights could land with some other network during the whole bidding process. Amid all of this, Inside the NBA host since 1990, Ernie Johnson, has stated he will stick with TNT. However, Charles Barkley, on the Dan Patrick Show, has stated he will be a free agent if TNT loses NBA rights.

Apart from this, he also shared his plan for the off day before the decision comes for TNT. Barkley states he will be drunk and he will be on the golf course ahead of the decision day. “I’m going to play golf. I’m gonna get drunk as hell on the golf course. And if they call me sometime today and they tell me I don’t have a job, I’m going to be sad but I’m hoping they call me, tell me I still got a job. But I’m gonna be drunk and playing golf either way,” Barkeley said on the Dan Patrick Show.

Notably, Charles Barkley joined the TNT back in 2020 and his run may just now end after two decades. Although being a free agent can be financially beneficial, he still hopes that TNT retains the NBA rights. This reflects the bond that the cast members, specifically Barkley, Ernie Johnson, and Shaquille O’Neal, share with each other. So TNT losing NBA rights will not only be a loss for the company but an end of an era. And the latest reports in connection to the whole matter do not look very promising for TNT.

The latest developments in the NBA rights-TNT row

It is worth mentioning that TNT Sports has been a domestic NBA rights partner for which they are currently paying $1.2 billion per year through 2024-25. Now, as per the reports, Comcast-owned NBC has proposed a $2.6 billion each campaign to replace TNT. However, Disney-owned ESPN will reportedly retain its top-tier domestic NBA rights. And for this the company will make a payment of $2.6 billion each campaign.

Apart from this, the reports from the previous week also hinted that Amazon is close to landing a multi-year rights deal with the NBA. This can be an important partnership for NBA as well because of the three major US sports, NBA is the only one with no streaming partner. Now only the time will tell what the future holds for NBA broadcasting.

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