Charles Barkley says he isn’t getting out of Warner Bros. Discovery‘s sports game.
The roundball great, who is a mainstay of the long-running TNT studio show “Inside the NBA,” said Tuesday that he will put off previously articulated plans to retire and continue to work through what is believed to be a ten-year contract that kicked off in 2022. Warner Bros. Discovery is in the midst of a heated legal squabble with the NBA over keeping some passel of rights to show games after the league’s next season. Barkley’s reversal could be seen as a sweetener, though NBA executives are believed to have soured on their long-term alliance with Warner. NBCUniversal, Amazon and Disney are the league’s partners in a new rights deal that would commence next year.
“I love my TNT Sports family. My #1 priority has been and always will be our people and keeping everyone together for as long as possible. We have the most amazing people, and they are the best at what they do. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with them both on the shows we currently have and new ones we develop together in the future. This is the only place for me,” Barkley said in a statement. “I have to say … I’ve been impressed by the leadership team who is fighting hard and have been aggressive in adding new properties to TNT Sports, which I am very excited about. I appreciate them and all of my colleagues for their continued support, and most importantly our fans. I’m going to give my all as we keep them entertained for years to come.”
Barkley’s future presence would not be limited to NBA play. There are plans in place that would have him contribute to other parts of the Warner sports portfolio if the company proves unable to persuade the league or force it though the courts to keep games parked at TNT. Barkley could participate in content built around Warner’s share of the NCAA “March Madness” basketball tournament it operates with Paramount Global; Major League Baseball games; Warner’s celebrity golf contests; or NHL matches. Barkley could also devise original programming.
“We continue to add to the breadth and depth of our sports portfolio — including new properties in the College Football Playoffs, Roland-Garros, NASCAR, BIG EAST college basketball, Mountain West football, among others – and it’s fantastic to have Charles for this journey as we develop new content ideas and shows for our fans,” said Luis Silberwasser, chairman and CEO of TNT Sports.
Still, relations between Warner and the NBA are at an all-time low, and it isn’t clear that even the continued presence of Sir Charles can remedy the situation.
Warner on July 26 filed a suit against the NBA in the Supreme Court in the State of New York, alleging that the league had ignored its legal standing to make a matching offer for any package of games previously shown on TNT that had been awarded to a new party. “Warner Bros. Discovery’s claims are without merit and our lawyers will address them,” the NBA said in a statement at the time. Its new deals with NBCU, Amazona and Disney last 11 years.
Keeping NBA games is critical for the media company, led by CEO David Zaslav. The NBA rights are “a significant driver of TNT’s current affiliate value,” noted Robert Fishman, a media analyst with MoffettNathanson, an independent analysis firm, in a recent research note. “With some of its key network’s carriage agreements are up for renewal next year, we would expect TNT to have far less leverage in these affiliate negotiations, perhaps even seeing rollbacks in rates, even after factoring in the
new sports rights acquired over the past few months. WBD’s refers to these NBA rights in its
lawsuit as a “unique asset that cannot be replaced.” We can see the damage extend to other parts
of WBD’s cable portfolio, as the company would no longer be able to use the NBA on TNT as a
hammer to push rates on its slew of other domestic cable networks.”
The legal battle may not serve Warner well, argued Fishman. “It is difficult for us to fully understand what positive outcome can be achieved by WBD with this lawsuit.”
The new agreement with Barkley may serve other imperatives. By maintaining ties with its star announcer, Warner Bros. Discovery ensures he would not be available to work with any of the companies that are taking over the games it once showed.