The (media) match of the season is here, and the NBA has picked some new star players. The league has signed its long-awaited 11-year media rights agreement worth over $76B, partnering with ESPN, NBC, and Amazon. This move is set to significantly increase the league’s annual revenue while attracting younger viewers — making it an appealing opportunity for advertisers.

• DisneyDIS
  , ComcastCMCSA
  , and AmazonAMZN
  will each pay the NBA annually: $2.62B, $2.45B, and $1.8B+, respectively — more than double the value of the current rights deals.
• The WNBA will also benefit, receiving $200M annually from these deals, plus an additional $60M from other agreements, boosting its total funding to roughly six times the current amount.

Foul play: In 2022, Warner Bros. DiscoveryWBD

CEO David Zaslav commented, “We don’t have to have the NBA.” But now that their wish has been granted, they’re not too happy. WBD’s TNT Sports, which has aired NBA games since the 1980s, was recently outbid by Amazon. The NBA rejected WBD’s attempt to match Amazon’s bid, citing a lack of legal standing. It’s a common theme with tech companies, with Amazon and AppleAAPL

securing rights for major sports leagues like the NFL and MLS. WBD, feeling the rejection was unjust, has threatened to take “appropriate action.”