ESPN confirms beloved Inside the NBA team will return for 2025-26 season
Inside the NBA will air on ESPN and ABC starting next season as part of a settlement between Warner Bros Discovery and the NBA. The deal was reported last week, but was officially confirmed by ESPN on Monday.
The beloved quartet of Ernie Johnson Jr, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal will remain with the show. Barkley signed an extension with Warner Bros Discovery in August, despite the company losing its NBA broadcast rights. ESPN said Monday that Inside the NBA “will appear on ESPN and ABC around high-profile live events, including ESPN’s pregame, halftime and postgame coverage of the NBA Finals on ABC, Conference Finals, NBA Playoffs, all ABC games after 1 January. Christmas Day, opening week, the last week of the season and other major live events.”
ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro welcomed the deal in a statement Monday. “The NBA is universally recognized as one of the best and most culturally impactful shows in sports,” Pitaro said. “We have long admired the immensely talented team and are excited to add their chemistry and knowledge to our robust NBA studio offering to serve NBA fans like never before. The addition of Inside the NBA further cements ESPN as the premier destination for sports fans.”
Warner Bros Discovery, the parent company of TNT Sports, has sued the NBA in New York state court after the league failed to accept the company’s matching offer for one of the packages in its new 11-year media rights deal, which starts in 2025 . -26 season.
While Inside the NBA will air on ESPN and ABC starting with the 2025-2026 season, TNT Sports will continue to produce the popular studio show and broadcast from Atlanta except when the show goes on tour.
“At TNT Sports, we are very proud of our Inside the NBA show and know that its success is as much a reflection of the iconic talent on set as it is of the incredible people behind the scenes who consistently showcase the creativity and craftsmanship of our great team demonstrate,” Luis Silberwasser, CEO and chairman of TNT Sports, said on Monday. “We are excited to continue producing Inside the NBA for ESPN and ABC so fans can continue to enjoy the magic of this show throughout the NBA season.”
The settlement gives TNT Sports, Bleacher Report and House of Highlights a global content license for NBA content without rights fees for the next 11 years.
Warner Bros Discovery will also continue its relationship with the league’s digital operations, including NBA.com, for five seasons.
Even though TNT Sports will no longer broadcast matches in the United States starting next season, it does have the rights to broadcast a full package of matches in select countries, including Latin America and Poland.
TNT Sports will also show Big 12 football and men’s basketball games next season as part of a sublicense with ESPN. TNT will broadcast two College Football Playoff games starting this season, also under a sublicense from ESPN.
Warner Bros Discovery acquired the rights to the French Open tennis tournament and Big East basketball earlier this year.
Turner Sports has had an NBA package since 1984, and games have been shown on TNT since the network’s launch in 1988. That will end after this season.