1) 2025: ABC/ESPN, NBC/Peacock, and Amazon Prime

For all the consternation lately about NBA television ratings spelling doom for the league, you wouldn’t know it based on the latest broadcasting rights contract. The NBA will net around $76 billion dollars over the next 11 years from Disney, Universal, and Amazon for the right to broadcast games, which is by far the largest television sports contract ever signed. The league will also expand its reach, now airing nationally televised games every night of the week starting with the ’25-’26 season. Of course, the news isn’t all great for fans. The NBA was the last bastion of televised games meaning actual television viewing, but now will join the NFL, MLB, NHL, and MLS in having games viewable exclusively on streaming services, in this case Peacock and Amazon Prime. This also means an uncertain broadcasting future for the beloved NBA on TNT and its hosts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson, and Kenny Smith. While the return of NBC (which will broadcast opening night, the All-Star Weekend, and select playoff games) and the introduction of Peacock and Amazon Prime are a bit of a shock to the system, there will be some familiarity in ABC/ESPN exclusively retaining Christmas Day games and the NBA Finals through 2036.

2) 1953, DuMont

To understand just how far the NBA has come, consider its first ever television rights contract, signed in 1953 with DuMont. An early rival to NBC and CBS, the DuMont network was founded by its namesake, Allen DuMont, who is largely credited with inventing the first commercially viable television set. Struggling out of the gate to keep up with the more established networks, DuMont attempted to make a splash by paying $39,000 for the rights to air 20 NBA games during the ’53-’54 season, adding to its sports portfolio that also included the NFL. All the games were scheduled for Saturday afternoons and often featured some of the league’s worst teams, as owners were concerned that airing marquee match-ups on national television would draw away from the gate (games were thusly blacked out in local markets as an additional measure). The Boston Garden was the appropriate venue for the first televised game, a 106-75 Celtics victory over the Baltimore Bullets on December 12, 1953. On hand to call the game for DuMont were two broadcasting legends in Marty Glickman and Curt Gowdy. It was one and done for the network, with its final broadcast being game five of the 1954 NBA Finals, an 84-73 Minneapolis Lakers victory over the Syracuse Nationals. The NBA secured a contract with NBC for the ’54-’55 season and DuMont’s pro sports gamble didn’t pay off, as the network ceased operations less than two years later.

3) 1954, NBC

The ’25-’26 season will mark the third time that the NBA and NBC have agreed on terms to broadcast games. It’s certainly a full circle moment, as NBC was the first network to sign a multi-year deal with the NBA, an eight-year agreement starting with the ’54-’55 season. Similar to the terms with DuMont, NBC was originally limited to Saturday afternoon games, which did ultimately include at least one NBA Finals match-up every year. They occasionally did expand to Sunday matinees once NFL season ended but in contrast, Saturday broadcasts of NBA Finals games would be regularly bumped in favor of MLB coverage. Some of the notable events and milestones during this NBC term included the first game broadcast nationally in color (a Hawks vs. Royals game during the ’59-’60 season), the first All-Star Game broadcast (in 1959, when NBC only showed the second half), Bill Russell’s NBA Finals debut (1957), and the first broadcast of an NBA championship being clinched (the Celtics defeating the Hawks in game seven of the 1960 Finals). When the contract with NBC ended in 1962, the NBA entered a two-year period in which no games were broadcast nationally, instead opting for a syndication contract with Sports Network Incorporated (NWI).

4) 1964, ABC

It’s hard to overstate the impact on ABC and sports television in general of Roone Arledge, who became the network’s sports division’s top producer in the early ’60s. He revolutionized sports broadcasting by injecting a through line of human interest and dramatic tension into a previously staid, by-the-book institution. This ethos was applied to ABC coverage of the NBA starting in ’64-’65, just as the network and the league were primed to reach new heights. Initially airing as part of its Wide World of Sports programming, the NBA quickly expanded its presence on ABC Sports, eventually airing Finals games on weeknights starting in 1966, followed by the series being presented in its entirety for the first time in 1970 (though game seven, which featured Willis Reed’s legendary comeback from a torn thigh, was notably blacked out in New York). Another innovation of the first ABC era was Christmas Day games, starting with a Rockets-Lakers tilt in 1967. When the network lost NBA rights to CBS in 1973, it filled the void with broadcasts of Olympics basketball (through 1984) and college basketball (starting with a UCLA-St. Louis match-up in 1973 that’s considered the first ever nationally broadcast regular season NCAA game). The network would also purposefully broadcast the wildly popular Wide World of Sports directly against CBS NBA coverage, a ploy that often worked as the NBA dipped in popularity through the ’70s.

5) 1973, CBS

As any basketball historian or longtime fan would note, 1973 was arguably the start of a nadir for the NBA, as the league was struggling with unstable franchises due to rapid expansion, a rash of legends retiring, and competition from the ABA. CBS, of all networks, surely understood this, as they had been broadcasting the ABA since 1970. But they stepped up and outbid ABC in 1973, paying nine million a year for three seasons of NBA basketball. Three years later, it only cost $10.5 million per year for CBS to renew, as ratings were tanking and fan interest dissipating. Amongst this cratering popularity, the network got creative in searching for answers. This included dunk contests and H-O-R-S-E competitions at halftime of games, plus an introduction of the now ubiquitous practice of placing mics to “listen in” on huddles during timeouts. They also start tinkering almost constantly with the schedule, often starting tape-delayed broadcasts late at night, even including NBA Finals games, while some affiliates started to outright refuse to broadcast games due to low ratings. Things changed dramatically in the mid ’80s, when the rivalry of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson uplifted the public perception of the NBA. Not only did CBS completely stop airing games on tape delay, they actually expanded coverage. But only up to a point, as the NBA had to compete in programming with the network’s broadcasting of the MLB, NFL, Winter Olympics, and college basketball. Thus, the league opted to go in a different direction in 1990, with David Stern shrewdly recognizing a more willing and arguably desperate partner in NBC. One more note on the NBA on CBS is that it was responsible for the brief broadcasting careers of Elgin Baylor, who was quickly fired for his incompetency, and Rick Barry, who was let go after making a racist comment on-air.

6) 1979, USA

When the Pacers defeated the Hawks 115-101 at Market Square Arena on October 13, 1979, an otherwise pedestrian match-up made history as the first NBA game broadcast on cable television. Then called UA-Columbia, the USA network (the name was changed just a few months later) negotiated a three-year, $1.5 million deal with the NBA starting with the ’79-’80 season. As a result, the NBA had a consistent weeknight presence on American televisions for the first time, with USA broadcasting doubleheaders on Thursday nights throughout the season. Larry Bird notably made his national TV debut on USA (in December of 1979), as did Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins, and James Worthy. USA was also the first network to broadcast the NBA Draft, starting in 1980, and Conference Finals action in 1982, 1983, and 1984. While it lost NBA cable broadcasting rights to TNT in 1984, the USA network continued to make history in the cable sports space as a progenitor in coverage of the MLB, NHL, college football, pro soccer, pro tennis, and pro golf.

“It’s likely a difficult concept for youth to understand now but for years, if you were, say, a Celtics fan living in Dallas, you could only watch Celtics games that happened to be on national television or against the Mavericks. League Pass changed all that.”

7) 1982, ESPN

Following its success with the USA network, the NBA opted to expand its cable reach in 1982, agreeing to a two-year contract with the fledgling ESPN. Contra its current slick, professional luster, the original NBA on ESPN partnership was a more ragtag affair. For evidence, start with the list of broadcasters, which included a young Greg Gumble, former NCAA referee Irv Brown, Pete Liebengood (better known for his football broadcasting), Dick Vitale (who quickly returned to the college ranks), and Chris Berman (yes, that Chris Berman). Once that initial contract ended, the NBA negotiated an exclusive cable deal with Turner Sports, leaving ESPN out of the live NBA game business for 18 years. The network did get to broadcast some great playoff games in 1983 and 1984, including legendary performances from Larry Bird and Magic Johnson amongst others. Probably most enduring was ESPN’s exclusive coverage of the first ever NBA All-Star Saturday Night in 1984, featuring Larry Nance’s victory in the inaugural Slam Dunk Contest.

8) 1984, Turner Sports

As the network and the basketball franchise were both owned by Ted Turner, TBS actually has a long history of distributing Atlanta Hawks games to a national audience, dating back to 1976. The network extended its NBA coverage starting in ’84-’85, supplanting ESPN and USA as the now exclusive home of cable NBA broadcasts. Perhaps the most notable thing about the initial TBS run is that it reunited analysts Rick Barry and Bill Russell, who had previously paired up on CBS until Barry made a racist comment on air about an old picture of Russell (according to the two men, Barry later apologized and Russell accepted). When Turner re-upped the contract with the NBA in 1988, he included a provision that his newly launched TNT station would take over broadcasting games in ’89-’90. The first NBA game on TNT was actually an exhibition between the Nuggets and FC Barcelona, kicking off a fruitful relationship that would ultimately last for over 35 years. Inside the NBA launched alongside TNT’s overall coverage, though Ernie Johnson wouldn’t join until 1990, followed by Kenny Smith in 1998 and Charles Barkley in 2000. While Turner started off by paying $10 million per year to the NBA in 1984, by 1990 that had risen to $68 million a year and in 2016, the final contract signed was worth over $100 million annually.

9) 1990, NBC

For any NBA fan over the age of 40, there’s a distinct nostalgia for this era of televised basketball, punctuated by the sounds of John Tesh’s “Roundball Rock.” Having initially paid about $150 million per year for the rights, NBC broadcast an NBA game for the first time in 17 years in 1990, with Marv Albert, Mike Fratello, and Snapper Jones on hand to call an early season Spurs victory over the Lakers. The ’90s were ultimately very good to the NBA and NBC Sports, which broadcast the four most-watched NBA Finals in league history (all of which, unsurprisingly, involved Michael Jordan: 1993, 1996, 1997, and 1998). This was a boom time for NBC in general, with Seinfeld, ER, Friends, and The Tonight Show additionally rocketing it to the top of the ratings. When the NBA took a downturn with the 1998 lockout, there was perhaps some hubris amongst NBC executives that their other successful primetime and sports offerings (most notably the Olympics) allowed them to essentially lowball the league with a 2002 contract offer, losing out to ABC. It took 23 years of waiting this time, but NBC will now get a third crack at NBA coverage starting in 2025. Cue the “Roundball Rock.”

10) 1994, NBA League Pass
11) 1999, NBA TV

1994 was a watershed year in sports broadcasting, with the NFL, MLB, and NBA all launching premium packages offering viewers a chance to watch all (or almost all) out-of-market games. NBA League Pass made its debut for the ’94-’95 season, granting a lifeline to hardcore NBA fans, especially those in their favorite team’s disapora. It’s likely a difficult concept for youth to understand now but for years, if you were, say, a Celtics fan living in Dallas, you could only watch Celtics games that happened to be on national television or against the Mavericks. League Pass changed all that. Launched initially on satellite only, League Pass expanded to cable soon after and then to streaming starting in 2006. When NBA TV first hit television screens in 1999, the league initially perceived it as an extension of and promotion for League Pass and the NBA website. This trepidation and ambiguousness was understandable, as the NBA was a leader in the space, launching the channel before the NFL, MLB, or NHL put their equivalents in motion. Eventually, more original programming and live broadcasts were introduced, including airings of international basketball leagues previously unseen in the United States. The channel’s operations were turned over to Turner Sports in 2007, which leaves NBA TV with an uncertain future in the new contract. One more notable event from this era was in 2001, when the NBA became the first major pro sports league to stream a game online live, a late season match-up between the Mavericks and Kings.

12) 2002, ABC / ESPN

Emboldened by its recent purchase of ABC, Disney swooped in and snatched the NBA from NBC in 2002, paying $400 million a season as part of a six-year deal. The contract has been renewed several times, including as part of the latest package through 2036, meaning that the NBA will air continuously on ABC for at least 34 years, an unprecedented amount of time for a broadcast network. Granted, the arguably most notable development of the ABC contract period has been the steady shift away from network television broadcasts in favor of cable. This became especially evident in 2006, when the 45-year institution ABC Sports was officially folded into ESPN, essentially becoming another division of the cable sports behemoth. In contrast to previous television contract timelines, the other defining factor for ABC has been the consistency of its inconsistency. The analysis teams and studio show casts have been tumultuous in their turnover, with the notable exception of stalwart play-by-play legend Mike Breen, while game broadcasting schedules have shifted numerous times. Ratings have been similarly turbulent, as the network (through only some fault of its own) has failed to recapture the peak ratings the NBA experienced in the ’80s and ’90s. The saving grace for the league recently and going forward is global reach, which will likely only continue to expand.

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