The fate of Inside the NBA, TNT Sports’ long-running basketball-centric talk show, has been heavily discussed as of late. That's because it was recently revealed that a large sum of the broadcast rights to the league were being sold off to Amazon Prime Video, while ABC/ESPN had secured another chunk of them. That left one last third of the proverbial pie, which NBC and TNT were vying now. This situation hasn’t looked too good for Inside and, now, it’s being reported that the show will indeed come to an end after being on the air for decades. That was enough to get me in my feelings, but the fact that this comes after host Ernie Johnson's emotional Emmy speech makes this news hit even harder.
What Is The Reported Cause Of Inside The NBA’s Demise?
Negotiations for the broadcast rights to the NBA have reportedly persisted for a while now, with the major entertainment entities that are in the mix currently working out the financial details. According to the Sports Business Journal, ABC is looking to take on an “A” package from the league, which would see the company shell out $ 2.8 billion per year (up from $2.6B) to retain its share of the rights. Meanwhile, the Peacock network has proposed a $2.6 billion annual deal (up from $2.5B) as part of a “B” package deal. All the while, Amazon Prime has, in principle, landed an agreement that would have it pay between $1.8 and $2 billion a year for the rights.
It’s reported that Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns TNT and is reportedly $40 billion in debt, was under the impression that the price tag for the “B” package wouldn’t be as high and refused to pay. That’s apparently why NBC was able to make a play for said deal. Now, it’s coming to the point at which the ball will be in WBD’s court.
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When the three networks take their deals to their respective boards to be ratified, the NBA will serve WBD with NBC’s contract and give the brand the opportunity to match that sum in “total value.” It’s unclear whether the company would be able to do that. If it did, it'd be paying a hefty sum. The only other two options would be to give up the pursuit of the broadcast rights or take the league to court and dispute the exact definition of a “match.”
The business jargon aside, it’s looking very likely that WBD will not be able to match the offer and that the rights will be lost. And that will effectively cause Inside the NBA to end following the 2024-2025 season.
Ernie Johnson Spoke About Gratitude During His Emmys Speech
If you’re like me, then this situation is an incredibly tough pill to swallow, considering how excellent Inside the NBA has been since its debut in 1989. The work done by the team of producers and crew members has been great. But, also, one has to shout out the program’s four personalities – Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny “The Jet” Smith and Shaquille O’Neal. The idea of seeing them disband is honestly heartbreaking, but what’s enough to make one even more emotional is the speech that Johnson gave after winning his latest Sports Emmy for Outstanding Personality/Studio Host. During the address, he used a recent family trip to illustrate the importance of gratitude:
We can all be grateful for what we do. I mean, who in this room doesn’t consider what they have a ‘get to’ job? We get to do this. I get to work with Pedro Martinez. I get to work with Kenny and Chuck and Shaq. So I’m grateful for that. I’m grateful I got to sit here and listen to James Brown tonight. I’m grateful for this family at TNT. 35 years I’ve been at this company. I get to go to work with you guys, and I’ll forever be grateful for that.
Ernie Johnson, who will reportedly stay with TNT following the dissolution of Inside the NBA, has always had a way with words. And the sentiments he shared perfectly encapsulate not just his feelings about his job and colleagues, but they’re also a testament to the family dynamic they’ve all formed over the years. Check out Johnson’s entire speech, which also won the award for Outstanding Studio Show – Limited Run at the show the other night:
The #SportsEmmys Award for Outstanding Personality/Studio Host goes to Ernie Johnson @TurnerSportsEJ (@TNTSportsUS @TBSNetwork). pic.twitter.com/ihfEaoPgRUMay 22, 2024
All of this comes on the heels of fans sharing their favorite Inside moments on social media as cancellation rumors loomed. Shaq and Charles Barkley also recently travelled to New York to help pitch ad buyers for the show during TNT Sports’ Upfronts. The former Los Angeles Laker seemed confident that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav would be able to pull off a deal. However, Barkley (who signed a new contract with the network in 2022) seemed less optimistic than his on-air partner.
On the flip side of all this, NBC is aiming to have content for basketball fans to indulge in should they finalize their deal. Under the agreement, the network would reportedly produce Basketball Night in America, which would air on Sunday nights during the NFL season. It also looks like composer Josh Tesh is revamping the NBA on NBC theme song for future programming. That’s sure to be nostalgic for many, but a number of others may pine for the days of Shaq getting thrown into a Christmas tree or Charles Barkley being pranked with water. We may not have much time left with Inside the NBA, but I suppose what we can do is relish the broadcasts that Ernie Johnson and his co-hosts possibly have left.
