Warner Bros. Discovery has filed a lawsuit against the NBA over the league’s decision to sell a package of rights to Amazon Prime Video.
Filed under seal on Friday morning, the suit aims to enforce WBD’s rights after the NBA rejected their attempt to match a third-party offer. WBD argues this move is not only their contractual right but also benefits fans by maintaining access to NBA content on their platforms like TNT and Max.
The NBA recently announced new TV and streaming rights deals with Disney, NBCUniversal, and Amazon, retaining Disney as the primary rights partner while adding NBC and Amazon. WBD, claiming matching rights from a prior contract, sought to match Amazon’s deal.
However, the NBA informed WBD that their proposal did not align with Amazon’s offer, leading WBD to accuse the league of misinterpreting their contractual rights.
This legal action echoes a similar dispute from 1973 when ABC Sports sued the NBA over a deal with CBS. Although that lawsuit was unsuccessful, it became a notable and costly battle in the industry.
