The only vote against the NBA’s new media rights deal came from James Dolan of the New York Knicks.
As Basketball GM reported, Dolan was not in favor of the league’s new 11-year, $77 billion deal with ESPN, NBC, and Amazon as he felt the NBA is not prioritizing TV revenue.
How the Knicks & the NBA’s national TV slate will change in the new media rights deal
NBC previously had a deal with the league from 1990-2002, which saw the network boom off the strength of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ dynastic run throughout the decade. They’ll look to recapture that level of success on their new deal, while the league aims to expand its streaming presence by showing games on Amazon. Consequently, upon the deal being finalized, TNT will no longer continue its fruitful partnership with the NBA that has lasted since 1988.
Factoring into this new deal, the Knicks, who play in one of the biggest markets in the Association, will certainly see much air time on the new networks paying the league $2.6 billion annually to broadcast games. Additionally, their 50-32 record in 2023-24 coupled with the electrifying play of Jalen Brunson made New York a must-see team throughout the season.
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Knicks’ James Dolan’s interest tied to running one of the league’s biggest TV draws
The Knicks have been one of the league’s most profitable teams alongside the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers for the last several years, generating the third-highest revenue of $504 million in 2022-23. Their impact on the NBA’s TV revenue is great, with New York being a fixture for nationally televised games. The Knicks had 20 games on ESPN, ABC, or TNT last season, which was sixth-most among all franchises according to Sportico.
Naturally, the league profits off of featuring the Knicks in nationally televised games, and will continue to do so next season with New York having significantly upgraded their roster for the third time in the last eight months. The league’s board of governors was all on board for the new deal with the exception of Dolan. Nevertheless, barring a seismic shift, the Knicks will continue to pile on dollars in the TV circuit and Dolan will continue to air non-nationally televised games on MSG Network.
