The NBA is still receiving payments from its broadcast partners although the 2019/20 season is currently on hold, per Bloomberg (H/T Real GM).
The league suspended play last week after Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID 19 and concerns continue to mount as more players have received positive tests since, with Kevin Durant among four Nets players also determined to have contracted the coronavirus.
ESPN and Turner pay the NBA $2.6 billion on a yearly basis and, even with the season stalled, the broadcast giants are still forking out those cheques.
“This is an unprecedented situation,” a statement from ESPN reads. “We have great relationships with our league partners and are confident we can address all issues constructively going forward.”
“We have strong, longstanding relationships with our partners, and we’re confident we will be able to find solutions that work for all of us, despite this truly unprecedented situation,” Sam Turner also said.
The NBA’s deals with said broadcasters will expire after the 2024/25 season, which leaves them confident the value lost could be recouped over the course of the contracts’ remaining years.
Disney, though, stands to lose over $700 million in advertising revenue should the NBA decide to shut the campaign down altogether.
