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NBA’s Local TV Rights Draw Interest From YouTube, Apple, Amazon, & Disney

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing at Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Updated08 Aug 2023

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NBA Local TV Rights Draw Interest From YouTube, Apple, Amazon, & Disney

The NBA’s local TV rights are drawing interest from YouTube, Apple Inc., Amazon.com Inc., and Walt Disney Co. Bally Sports Regional Networks holds the broadcasting rights for local markets. Bally Sports was first acquired by Diamond Sports Group from Walt Disney Co. in 2019.

Disney was ordered by the U.S. Department of Justice to divest the company as a condition of their own acquisition of 21st Century Fox. Diamond Sports owns the 19 Bally Sports regional networks, which broadcasted games for 14 MLB, 16 NBA, and 12 NHL teams.

However, Diamond Sports opted for a 30-day grace period after failing to make a $140 million interest payment on Feb. 15, 2023, leading to the subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.


In addition to missing interest payments, Diamond Sports could not afford to pay the MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Texas Rangers, and Minnesota Twins. Last September, the company owed $8.6 billion to maintain the broadcasting rights for 42 teams across MLB, NBA, and NHL from Fox.

Furthermore, the company failed to compensate Raycom Sports for its ACC on Regional Sports Networks package (ACC RSN) as well. According to the company’s restructuring plan, Diamond Sports Group had to separate from the Sinclair Broadcast Group and become a standalone company.

NBA’s local TV rights are drawing interest from YouTube, Apple Inc., Amazon.com Inc., and Walt Disney Co. after Diamond Sports Group, the owner of Bally Sports, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

On June 1, 2023, the bankruptcy judge ordered Diamond Sports to pay the MLB teams their missed payments in full within five days. The company could not afford to do so. Bally Sports surrendered the rights to the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 18.

This is where YouTube, Apple Inc., Amazon.com Inc., and Walt Disney Co. come into play. The entertainment and tech giants are now open to acquiring the local TV rights once held by Diamond Sports Group. Nonetheless, there is one catch.

In a private interview with Bloomberg’s Gerry Smith, a source told him that the companies are only interested in obtaining the TV rights if they can “obtain a critical mass of teams.” This might be better suited for California and Texas markets.

California has four NBA teams: the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Sacramento Kings. Bally Sports West services California, Nevada, and Hawaii.

NBA's Local TV Rights Draw Interest From YouTube, Apple, Amazon, & Disney
Bally Sports Network Team Coverage By State

Meanwhile, NBA teams in Texas include the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs. Bally Sports Southwest provides coverage for Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Texas.

“DirecTV, the satellite-TV provider, has also expressed interest, two people said,” Smith wrote. Note that Apple Inc. currently holds Apple TV+ streaming rights for all Major League Soccer matches and two MLB games per week via Friday Night Baseball.

More importantly, Amazon Prime Video has an exclusive $100 billion deal with the NFL to broadcast Thursday Night Football games each season for 10 years, which began in the 2022 season.

The deal made Amazon the first streaming service to have exclusive NFL game coverage. Amazon also has an agreement with DirecTV to air its games in bars and restaurants.

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