Latest in sports rights

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav says execs “continue to talk to the NBA” about a renewal of rights, but he argued that even without pro hoops the company’s sports offerings are “very robust.” “I was just down in Atlanta. We’ve got a great team down there and we love our experience with the…

Charles Barkley, one of the mainstays of the long-venerated studio show Inside the NBA — which won yet another Sports Emmy last night — says the current media rights situation “sucks right now” for Warner Bros. Discovery staffers. About 200 jobs could be lost, Barkley said in an interview Wednesday…

The CW is looking to keep acquiring sports rights and is eyeing an expansion on Sundays as well as potential team-ups with other rights holders, President Dennis Miller said in an interview with Deadline. In an upfronts briefing alongside Brad Schwartz, President of Entertainment, Miller said the…

Roku has sealed a multi-year deal for rights to Major League Baseball, setting a slate of 18 games to stream live and for free every Sunday. Billed as Sunday Leadoff, the early-window games appeared last season on Peacock. The shift to Roku marks a milestone in the ongoing migration of sports to…

The NBA’s new round of rights negotiations has reportedly lured NBCUniversal back to the league after an absence of more than two decades. NBCU is planning to bid $2.5 a year for rights to the games, according to the Wall Street Journal. If the offer is successful, the company would supplant media…

With the popularity of women’s basketball on the rise, Prime Video and the WNBA have reached an extension of their current rights deal through the next two seasons. Rights to the NBA and the WNBA are set to expire in 2025 and speculation has been growing about the WNBA being due for a significant…

Despite the rigors of the ongoing transition from linear TV to streaming, NFL Chief Media & Business Officer Brian Rolapp expects traditional media partners like Fox, NBCUniversal, Disney and Paramount to remain viable for years to come. “We’re not worried about any insolvency risk,” Rolapp said…

As the College Football Playoff gets set to expand to 12 teams this fall, the postseason tournament has reached a $7.8 billion extension with ESPN through the 2031-32 season. Disney’s sports division and the CFP set a pair of media deals ensuring that ESPN remains the exclusive global rights holder…

Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos took a victory lap on the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call about the company’s acquisition of exclusive rights to Monday Night Raw and other WWE programming. “If I could raise a single eyebrow at a time, I would lean into the camera with a single eyebrow and do my…

Former ESPN President John Skipper, who led the effort to secure the current NBA rights deal, says incumbents Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery have no choice but to re-up with the league. “These are existential rights for ESPN,” he said during an episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out, a podcast produced…

Endeavor President and COO Mark Shapiro said the ultimate resolution of the WGA strike will improve the fortunes of the company’s representation business. “This is a growth opportunity for us,” Shapiro said during an appearance at the JP Morgan Technology, Media and Communication Conference. “When…

Perry Sook, CEO of The CW parent Nexstar, said the network’s deal this year to broadcast the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit has led to talks with “everyone” in the vibrant sports rights marketplace. “It announced to the world that we were willing to program sports on the weekends,” he said of the…