ESPN’s ‘Inside the NBA’ Deal is Latest to Snatch Top Sports Ideas From Rivals
variety.comBrian Steinberg Senior TV Editor If he can’t beat them, ESPN chief Jimmy Pitaro is still willing to do business with them. A creative deal that will bring what is perhaps America’s favorite sports studio show to Disney after years of it airing on Warner Bros.
Discovery’s TNT spotlights a growing willingness at ESPN to take a “curation” approach to game-day concepts and content. Some of the biggest deals at ESPN in recent years aren’t ones that start new formats or series, but rather the type that make ESPN a perch for sports personalities who have already proven popular somewhere else.
The new pact, unveiled formally Monday after leaking over the weekend, makes “Inside the NBA” an ESPN property as far as fans are concerned.
To be sure, Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT Sports will continue to produce the show from Atlanta over the term of the pact, which commences with the 2025-26 NBA season.
Read more on variety.com
