After cancellation reports swirled around Inside the NBA, the long-running TNT talk show received some good news early in November. The Warner Bros. Discovery-owned network reached a historic deal to syndicate the show on ESPN starting with the 2025-2026 TV season. It’s an exciting development, though it also raises some questions. One of those is whether or not the likes of Charles Barkley or Ernie Johnson could end up co-anchoring with Stephen A. Smith or Kendrick Perkins. Now, insiders are dropping claims about alt-casts.
How Are Alt-Casts Allegedly Being Handled After ESPN And TNT’s Deal?
For those who are unaware of the aforementioned term, alternative broadcasts or “alt-casts” or programs that aim to provide unique coverage of certain events. This particular situation, of course, would involve the coverage of athletic competitions. In the aftermath of ESPN and WBD’s deal for Inside the NBA, it would seem the latter is now holding “early discussions” in regard to the show’s cast being used for other programs. As noted by Front Office Sports, such a move would align with its content strategy.
So, if TNT’s quartet of hosts were to be utilized in such ways, then that would theoretically mean that Charles Barkley could mix it up with Stephen A. Smith on a show like NBA Countdown. With that same thinking, the network could even produce original content that could put Shaquille O’Neal on a panel with Kendrick Perkins or Kenny Smith with Chiney Ogwumike. The possibilities would theoretically be endless in that regard.
As interesting as that all may sound, there’s still the question of whether alt-casts are even possible as far as the Inside the NBA talent is concerned. Well, based on what another source had to say, we may want to slow down when it comes to speculating on cross-pollination amongst panelists.
Why It Might Be Difficult For Alt-Casts To Be Produced?
A source outside of ESPN also told FOS that it may not actually be possible to create alt-casts that utilize the Inside alums. That’s because such productions would apparently breach the deal struck by Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery. Per that agreement, Ernie Johnson and co. remain TNT employees and would only continue to make appearances as part of content related to the network/WBD.
Despite that, there may be a possibility that some kind of workaround or adjustment can be made, especially if there’s legitimate interest. FOS also notes that the always-vocal Charles Barkley could even help to push that initiative forward if he sees fit. However, that’s all purely speculation at this point. It’s also worth noting that since Inside’s future is now set, Barkley is “back to kissing ass” at TNT after months of saying wild things about the show’s fate.
The deal that’s been struck will be in place for 11 years and see ESPN utilize Inside the NBA for various purposes, including coverage of the NBA Finals, Christmas Day games and more. It’s also been stipulated that the show will continue to be produced by TNT Sports and be broadcast from its studio in Atlanta. All four panelists will likely remain in the fold, though it’s been alleged that Shaq is frustrated as he still needs to renew his contract amid the flurry of “congratulations” over the deal.
It was unclear if Inside the NBA would move to another network if TNT lost the broadcast rights to the eponymous basketball league and, as a fan, I’m glad it’ll be sticking around for a while. Personally, I’m also not in dire need of the talent crossing over to different programs. After all, Charles Barkley and Shaq’s antics are wild enough without Stephen A. Smith or any other ESPN talent in the mix.
