TNT Sports will cease production efforts on NBA TV at the end of the league’s calendar year, which is the end of September, a source with knowledge of the situation tells SBJ. The company had been operating/programming NBA TV since the start of the 2008-09 season, including the production of several playoff games each season (the last of which was this past season).

The exact future of the league-owned network remains unclear.

TNT Sports and the NBA had been exchanging proposals for the future of NBA TV’s operation over the last few months, the source noted, but the economics didn’t pan out for either side. One key element is that there will be far fewer live games on NBA TV once the new media-rights deal kicks in this fall with ESPN/ABC, NBC Sports and Prime Video.

In a note obtained by SBJ, TNT Sports Chair & CEO Luis Silberwasser told employees on Friday, in part, “After discussions with the NBA in recent months, we have mutually decided to part ways at the end of the 2024-25 season. We made several proposals to continue to provide services and operate the NBA TV network and related digital assets. However, we were unable to agree on a path forward that recognized the value of our expertise, quality content, and operational excellence that our fans and partners have come to expect from TNT Sports. We will work closely with the NBA on a transition plan for the league to assume the responsibility of programming and operating NBA TV and NBA.com, which will be effective October 1. … In the coming weeks, we will hold meetings with those who contribute directly to the NBA partnership as we begin to embark on a thoughtful transitional phase.”

The end of production for NBA TV by no means has any impact on the future relationship of TNT Sports and NBA. While the company will no longer air live games, TNT is licensing its “Inside the NBA” show to ESPN. A lawsuit settlement also sees TNT gaining access to NBA IP, which the company has acknowledged grants them highlight rights for NBA-related programming. Warner Bros. Discovery’s Bleacher Report and House of Highlights properties (staying with TNT Sports in WBD’s planned spinoff) can show near-live NBA highlights. Content from both B/R and HoH will live on NBA.com and the NBA app. A congruent five-year $350M digital partnership between the league and TNT involving promotions, production, content and sales operation services for commensurate value to the NBA in return was also written into the settlement, as was a deal to make WBD a promotional partner for NBA League Pass and to provide ads for NBA properties and initiatives across WBD linear and digital platforms.