Will the Popular Show Stay On Air?

The future of Inside the NBA, TNT’s long-running and widely cherished studio program, has been a hot topic amid the NBA’s media rights negotiations.

While uncertainties still loom, the NBA’s apparent dismissal of Warner Bros. Discovery’s right-to-match claim likely signals that TNT is heading into its last season of NBA coverage. But does this imply that Inside the NBA is on its last legs? According to Jay Marine, the global head of sports for Prime Video, perhaps not.

Marine mentioned to SBJ that Amazon Prime Video modeled its Thursday night NFL pregame, halftime, and post-game show after Inside the NBA. He hinted at a significant interest if the TNT cast of Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal, and Ernie Johnson were to become available. “Obviously, there’ll be a lot of interest, and we’ll just have to see how that plays out,” Marine said, as reported by Tom Friend of the Sports Business Journal.

Marine enthused to SBJ, “I would say, first and foremost, ‘Inside the NBA,’ we view it as the gold standard studio program. We’re big fans. I’m a big fan. They are absolutely fantastic, incredibly entertaining. And collectively, that chemistry is really awesome and, to be honest, it was an inspiration for us that we pointed to when we designed our TNF pregame team….That’s what we wanted to aspire to.”

Yet, several potential issues are still at hand. For example, Ernie Johnson may not be inclined to leave Turner. Additionally, Charles Barkley announced that the 2024-25 NBA season would be his final one, even if the NBA returned to Turner.

Further comments from Barkley have clearly indicated his lack of interest in moving to another network.

Another concern lies in the possible contractual obligations of the talent. “Barkley, O’Neal, and Smith are under long-term contracts,” Friend explained. Barkley has claimed that he has an exit clause in his contract if WBD loses the NBA, but sources revealed that this is not necessarily the case, adding that all contracts were unique with various stipulations that could prevent a switch to Amazon, NBC, or Disney, the league’s three emerging partners post-next season.

Despite these roadblocks, there does appear to be an enthusiastic interest in keeping Inside the NBA alive. Whether this can be achieved remains to be seen.

Source: Sports Business Journal, Awful Announcing