Ernie Johnson not going anywhere even if TNT loses NBA rights

NBA

by christian arnold

Depending on how the bidding war for the NBA’s television rights unfolds, it could spell the end of the beloved “Inside the NBA” as we know it.

Even if Warner Bros. Discovery does not retain NBA rights beyond next season, host Ernie Johnson will remain on TNT. According to a Thursday report in the Sports Business Journal..

Sources told the outlet that if the NBA takes possession of the ball and heads to NBC, Johnson will “remain with Turner” and work as studio head of men’s March Madness and broadcast Major League Baseball. He will be acting as a live broadcaster. He reportedly plans to bid $2.5 billion a year for the NBA broadcast package.

Charles Barkley has an opt-out clause in his contract with Warner Bros.

Discovery will lose its NBA rights contract after the 2024-25 season, so there is a possibility it will move on to another network once the dust settles on the TV rights war.

Shaquille O’Neal, another popular member of the “Inside the NBA” staff, has no plans to continue working in television, SBJ reports.

And Johnson is “Turner Sports.” period. ”

Warner Bros. Discovery’s retention of the NBA’s TV rights package appears to be a 10/20 game, with ESPN said to have struck a handshake deal with the NBA and Amazon inked a deal with the league. It is reported that the framework is in place.

This leaves NBC and Turner going head-to-head for a piece of the production, with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav essentially trying to match or exceed NBC’s bid. This was the determining factor.

“My bet is that Zaslav will overpay to keep it and take strong measures to keep it,” the source told SBJ. “But I think NBC is the front-runner at this point, or just leading the pack. I don’t know. [NBA Commissioner] Adam Silver is doing it to get big numbers for Zaslav. It has to be big. It’s like blowing away NBC’s numbers. ”

The current NBA television rights deal runs through the end of next season.