Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav might not have many fans over at the NBA on TNT, but he had one in Ian Eagle Monday night.
Eagle and Grant Hill were calling the NBA on TNT’s coverage of Game 2 between the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons in their first-round playoff series.
And during a break in the action, Eagle made note of TNT’s boss being in attendance at Madison Square Garden after the camera panned to Zaslav sitting between Paul Rudd and John McEnroe.
Ian Eagle being a good soldier for TNT 🫡 pic.twitter.com/sXosFu4zN5
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 22, 2025
“On hand here at the Garden, Paul Rudd, John McEnroe and David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery,” Eagle said. “David has continued the relationship with the NBA over the next decade, finding innovative ways to partner up. And also, has added a bunch to the sports portfolio at TNT Sports. Including John McEnroe working Roland-Garros (French Open), NASCAR, Big 12, Big East, College Football Playoffs.”
It may have been unconventional to hear a play-by-play voice tout the deals their network CEO reached with other leagues. But wow! Seems like things are going really well over at TNT Sports thanks to Zaslav’s constant pursuit of media rights agreements. It’s almost like TNT doesn’t want anyone paying attention to the fact that TNT Sports’ game rights partnership with the NBA is coming to an end after these playoffs.
Unfortunately for David Zaslav and TNT Sports, promoting the media deals they did reach still won’t overshadow losing NBA game rights. Zaslav may have “continued the relationship with the NBA over the next decade,” but it’s not in the way most people wanted.
After failing to reach a deal on a game package last summer, Warner Bros. Discovery and the NBA announced an 11-year partnership that features a “reimagined and enhanced NBA Digital partnership between the NBA and TNT Sports.” What it doesn’t include, however, is TV game or highlights rights inside the United States. The partnership won’t keep Ian Eagle at TNT. Eagle is reportedly heading to Amazon next NBA season, although that deal has not been officially announced. And the partnership won’t keep Inside the NBA on TNT. The popular studio show will air on ESPN and ABC next season, although it will continue to be produced by TNT Sports.
Listening to Ian Eagle, you’d never know the NBA on TNT was coming to an end after these playoffs. You can, however, listen to Charles Barkley to learn of the NBA on TNT’s fate. Barkley has spent much of the last year ripping Zaslav and Warner Bros. Discovery for losing NBA game rights.
