NBA Shifts TV Rights to NBC, Amazon, ESPN for 2025-26 Season

The 2025-26 NBA season has commenced with ESPN broadcasting games across Africa and South Africa, featuring reigning champions Oklahoma City Thunder and other top contenders. "Inside the NBA," the Emmy-winning show featuring Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith, has moved from TNT to ESPN and ABC, airing as pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage for major games. This transition follows Turner Sports' failure to renew its NBA media rights deal, leading to a significant reshuffling of NBA broadcasting partners. NBC and Amazon Prime Video have also joined as new NBA broadcasters, aiming to offer a fresh, uplifting alternative to the more humorous and critical style of "Inside the NBA," with new talent including Blake Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki, Carmelo Anthony, and Tracy McGrady. NBC rekindles NBA nostalgia by bringing back Michael Jordan for cameos and restoring its classic theme music, while Amazon emphasizes a modern approach with younger analysts. These changes mark one of the biggest shifts in NBA broadcasting in decades, reshaping how fans experience basketball coverage.