Why Is TNT Blackout NBA Games?
If you’re a fan of the NBA, you may have noticed that TNT has been blacking out certain games lately. Here’s a look at why this is happening and what it could mean for the future of the league.
NBA Games
TNT is a US-based cable and satellite television channel that is owned by WarnerMedia. The channel is mainly known for broadcasting NBA games. TNT has been blacking out NBA games recently and this has been causing a lot of frustration for NBA fans. TNT has the exclusive rights to broadcast NBA games on TV, but they are not allowed to show the games online.
TNT has the right to air NBA games
TNT (Turner Network Television) is an American cable television network that is owned by the Turner Broadcasting System, a division of WarnerMedia. TNT airs blackouts of NBA games in certain areas of the United States.
TNT has the right to air NBA games pursuant to agreements with the National Basketball Association (NBA). As part of these agreements, TNT is required to blackout live NBA games in certain areas of the country in order to protect the territorial rights of the local television networks that have also purchased these rights from the NBA.
When a live NBA game is televised on TNT in a particular area, it is blacked out on NBA TV in that same area.
TNT has been airing NBA games for years
TNT has been airing NBA games for years, but there have been recent complaints about the channel blacking out games. TNT is available on most cable and satellite providers, but it does not have a national broadcast network. That means that some games are only available on local channels, which can be a problem for fans who want to watch their favorite team play. TNT does not have the rights to air every NBA game, so it has to black out some of the games that it does not have the rights to air. This can be frustrating for fans, but there are ways to watch the games that TNT blackouts.
TNT’s Blackout
It’s a sad day for basketball fans. TNT has decided to blackout NBA games in order to force people to subscribe to their paid cable TV service. This is a terrible move by TNT and it’s going to anger a lot of people. Let’s take a look at why this is happening and what you can do about it.
TNT’s blackout is due to a new NBA contract
In October 2014, the NBA signed a new nine-year TV contract with ESPN and TNT, which will take effect starting with the 2016-2017 season. The contract is worth $24 billion, and it includes some major changes to the way that games are broadcast. One of those changes is that TNT will no longer be able to show certain games that are “blacked out” in their home markets.
This change affects TNT because the network relies on cable and satellite providers to distribute its signal to homes. In most cases, those providers also offer NBA TV, which is a separate channel that has the rights to show all of the league’s games.
Under the new contract, NBA TV will be included in most pay-TV packages, but it will be moved to a higher tier of service for some providers. As a result, many people who want to watch TNT’s NBA coverage will need to pay for a more expensive package that includes NBA TV.
TNT’s blackout affects people who live in an area where their local team is playing one of the games that is being shown on TNT. For example, if you live in Los Angeles and the Lakers are playing a game on TNT, you will not be able to watch it on your local TNT channel. Instead, you’ll need to watch it on NBA TV.
The good news is that there are ways to get around TNT’s blackout. If you have an Internet connection, you can stream the game live on your computer or mobile device using the WatchESPN app or website. You can also watch the game on demand after it has aired by signing up for NBA League Pass, which gives you access to all of the league’s games On Demand.
TNT’s blackout affects viewers in certain areas
Viewers in the United States who have a subscription to TNT through a participating TV provider may be blacked out from watching live or on-demand games, depending on their location. This is because TNT holds the exclusive rights to nationally televised NBA games in the US. When a game is being broadcast on TNT, it may not be available to watch live or on-demand in your area if you are not within the local market of the teams playing.
The New NBA Contract
On October 1st, the NBA and Turner Sports agreed to a new nine-year, $24 billion extension. This contract runs through the 2024-2025 season, and provides TNT with the exclusive rights to air NBA games on Thursday nights. It also allows TNT to continue to air the All-Star Game, All-Star Saturday Night, and the NBA Playoffs.
The new NBA contract is with ESPN
The new NBA contract is with ESPN. The old one was with TNT. Why the switch? One big factor is that ESPN is owned by Disney, which also owns ABC. ABC has been averaging about 4 million fewer viewers for NBA games than TNT did last season.
ESPN pays about $1.4 billion per year for the rights to show NBA games, which is about triple what TNT pays. But ESPN also gets revenue from other sources, such as subscriptions and advertising. So the total amount of revenue that ESPN generates from the NBA is much higher than what TNT generates.
Another factor in the switch is that TNT’s ratings have been declining in recent years. In the 2015-16 season, TNT’s ratings were down 10% compared to the previous season. ESPN’s ratings have also been declining, but not by as much.
So why are ratings declining? One reason is that there are more choices for viewers now than there were in the past. There are more channels and more streaming services available, so viewers have more options for what to watch.
Another reason is that the playoffs are often less competitive than the regular season. In recent years, there have been several “super teams” that have dominated the playoffs and made it to the Finals multiple times. These teams are often from big markets, such as Los Angeles and Golden State, which makes it harder for other teams to compete for viewers.
The new NBA contract is for more money
The reason for the change is that the new NBA contract is for more money. In the old contract, each team got an equal share of the television revenue. Under the new contract, the teams will get a larger share of the television revenue, and the players will get a smaller share. This change is due to the fact that the new NBA contract is for more money.
TNT’s Response
TNT is a popular cable network that is known for broadcasting NBA games. However, in recent years, the network has been blacking out games. This has led to many people wondering why TNT is blackout NBA games.
TNT is not happy about the new NBA contract
TNT is not happy about the new NBA contract. They are losing a lot of money, and they are not happy about it. The new contract is terrible for them, and they are not happy about it.
TNT is considering legal action against the NBA
TNT is considering taking legal action against the NBA after the league blacked out its coverage of Wednesday night’s playoff game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Houston Rockets, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported.
TNT had been scheduled to air the game nationally, but the NBA decided to put the game on its own League Pass service instead. That left TNT with only two minutes of live game action to show — not nearly enough to justify the three-hour broadcast block it had set aside for the game.
Charania reports that TNT is “furious” about the situation and is considering taking action against the NBA. It’s not clear what kind of legal action TNT might take, but it could potentially argue that the league breached its contract by not providing enough live game action.
The blackouts are part of a larger dispute between the NBA and TNT over how games are broadcast on League Pass. The NBA wants to put more games on League Pass in order to drive subscriptions, but that means fewer games are available on traditional television. TNT pays billions of dollars per year for the right to air NBA games, and it doesn’t want to see those rights devalued by blackouts and League Pass exclusives.
