Charles Barkley can’t believe NBA chose Amazon over TNT: ‘It’s just ridiculous’

Last week the NBA confirmed that it had rejected a final offer from Warner Bros. Discovery to match Amazon’s $1.8 billion-a-year deal to stream league games starting in the 2025/26 campaign. The decision created a tug-of-war between the organization and WBD, the parent company of both TNT and CNN, who believe they have the right to match the offer.

That’s why Charles Barkley decided to criticize the NBA’s refusal to continue broadcasting professional basketball games for the next decade. According to the Inside the NBA hosting, the league prioritizes “money over fans.”

The Hall of Famer took to his own Instagram platform to issue a statement regarding the negotiations, confirming that the league never wanted to stay with WBD in the first place. “It’s clear that the NBA wanted to separate from us from the beginning. I’m not sure TNT ever had a chance,” he said.

Charles Barkley responds to NBA choosing Amazon over TNT for their NBA media rights deal

“It is a sad day when owners and commissioners choose money over fans. It’s just amazing.” pic.twitter.com/RdamuhtnnB

– Screen Time (@screentime) July 26, 2024

“TNT matched the money, but the league knows that Amazon and these tech companies are the only ones willing to pay for the rights when they double in the future,” Barkley said. “The NBA didn’t want to upset them. It’s a sad day when owners and commissioners choose money over fans. It’s just disgusting. My thing was, ‘Wait, f-up, I didn’t f-up, why should I take a pay cut.'”

Chuck confirmed that the NBA wasn’t willing to change networks, then mentioned how he hasn’t talked to teammates Shaquille O’Neal or Kenny Smith about their intentions as they await outside offers. Now he believes more than ever that the future will be broadcast.

“Everything will be broadcast in 11 years,” he said of sports media rights, because “in 11 years nobody will be able to pay for these broadcasting rights. They like to have their cake and eat it, too. They got ESPN and NBC and broadcast.”

According to the TNT spokesperson, they went all the way to match the proposal of their opponents. “We have matched Amazon’s offer, as we have the right to the contract, and we do not believe that the NBA would reject it,” the statement read. “In doing so, they are rejecting the many fans who continue to show their unwavering support for our flagship combination, Amazon as a third-party partner, as well as ESPN and NBCUniversal.”

Despite TNT’s statement to match the offer, the NBA confirms that this is not true and that Amazon is the best option for the future.

Despite WBD assuring the public that it has matched Amazon’s proposal, as they have the right to continue as the league’s official broadcaster, the NBA has come out to dismiss this. The organization issued a statement last week saying that TNT’s final proposal does not compare to what is being negotiated with their new partners.

“The recent offer of Warner Bros. Discovery is not compatible with the terms of the Amazon Prime Video offer, therefore, we have made a long-term plan with Amazon,” the league told the media last Wednesday.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver explained why the new 11-year commitment with Amazon will improve its recent broadcast, cable, and streaming deals, which are contractually linked with NBCUniversal and Disney, and are worth about $77 billion.

“Our new global media agreements with Disney, NBCUniversal and Amazon will improve the reach and accessibility of NBA games to fans in the United States and around the world,” said a league official. “These partners will distribute our content across multiple platforms and help transform the fan experience for the next decade.”