Fans of Shaq, Ernie, Kenny and Charles and their iconic “Inside the NBA” show have no fear. The show will live on next season, just on a different network.
The fan-favorite was in jeopardy of being lost for good after Warner Brothers Discovery (WBD) and the NBA failed to reach an agreement, but after months of negotiations, the show will continue in the 2025-26 season, only now it will be on ESPN instead of TNT Sports.
“Inside the NBA is universally recognized as one of the best and most culturally impactful shows in sports,” said ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro in a statement. “We have long admired the immensely talented team and are thrilled to add their chemistry and knowledge to our robust set of NBA studio offerings to super-serve NBA fans like never before. The addition of Inside the NBA further solidifies ESPN as the preeminent destination for sports fans.”
With the NBA’s new 11-year, $75 billion media rights deal starting next season, WBD/TNT Sports was originally cut out and replaced by Amazon.
But this new deal keeps the NBA’s long-time partner in the mix, starting with “Inside the NBA” airing on ESPN and ABC.
Many fans expressed both joy and disdain, the latter worrying about ESPN trying to tweak a winning formula that has kept NBA fans entertained since 1989.
But fans need not worry as TNT Sports will “continue to independently produce” the award-winning show regardless of whether it’s in studio in Atlanta or on the road.
Even better news is that the show’s four stars will remain with the show.
“At TNT Sports, we take great pride in our Inside the NBA show and know its success is both a reflection of the iconic talent on set and the incredible people behind the scenes who consistently demonstrate the creativity and craft of our great team,” said TNT Sports CEO Luis Silberwasser in a statement. “We are thrilled to continue to produce Inside the NBA for ESPN and ABC, ensuring fans are able to keep enjoying the magic of this show during the NBA season.”
Inside the NBA has won 21 Sports Emmy Awards and is one of the most entertaining and informative sports shows on air. The chemistry and banter between the group is unparalleled and has yet to be matched in terms of ratings and pop culture success.
Now shifting to ESPN and ABC, the show will, according to the release, appear on the networks during the entire season including Christmas Day, the playoffs, conference finals and Finals.
ESPN will continue to produce “NBA Countdown” and “NBA Today.”
But there’s more to this settlement between long-time partners.
Through a sublicense agreement with ESPN, TNT Sports will show 13 Big 12 football and 15 men’s basketball games next season and will also air two College Football Playoff games this season.
In addition, TNT Sports will retain certain NBA rights.
TNT Sports, Bleacher Report and House of Highlights receive a global license for NBA content with no rights fee for the next 11 years and WBD will maintain its relationship with the NBA’s digital operations (including NBA.com), which they have jointly managed since 2009, for five seasons.
It also gives the network rights to air games globally outside of the U.S. including Latin America (not Brazil or Mexico), Poland, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
“The opportunity to continue the iconic and Emmy Award-winning ‘Inside the NBA’ is a huge win for basketball fans everywhere,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “We look forward to building on our longstanding partnership with TNT Sports and working together to promote NBA content across key WBD and NBA platforms.”
That’s a great win for a network that was almost completely shut out of a property it has been in business with since 1984.
So rejoice NBA fans. Kenny, Shaq, Ernie and Charles will continue to do what they do, just on a different network.
