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Central to that reticence is the league’s new 11-year, $76 billion media rights deal, beginning next season, with new partners NBC, Peacock – NBC’s streaming service – and Amazon Prime, along with existing partners ABC and ESPN. Warner Bros. Discovery, which had broadcast NBA games since 1989, was left out of the new deal. Several owners would, at present, rather begin collecting and splitting the massive new revenues among the existing teams, rather than bringing in new partners that would also receive a cut of the financial pie.
Bravo's new dating series Kings Court is putting a twist on a familiar favorite. The show serves as a spin-off of the Peacock original series Queens Court, and will follow three celebrity kings — supermodel Tyson Beckford, NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, and WWE legend Thaddeus “Titus O’Neil” Bullard — as they attempt to find "the one," aka their queen.
NBC Sports announced on Tuesday that Ahmed Fareed will anchor the network’s Monday night NBA coverage on Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service. Fareed has also been named NBC Sports’ new host of Big Ten College Countdown. “College football under the lights is sacred, and we’ve got the crew to match its energy. Plus, helping shape our NBA coverage in its return to NBC Sports? I can’t wait to start,” Fareed said in a news release. “I’m thankful to be trusted with these roles. I’m even more motivated by the responsibility that comes with them.”
Grant Hill joining NBC Sports’ NBA coverage
TNT Sports analyst and former NBA player Grant Hill will join NBC Sports’ NBA coverage as a game analyst for the 2025-26 season. “I’m incredibly excited to join NBC Sports as part of their NBA coverage. The NBA has been such a meaningful part of my life, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue sharing the game I love with fans across the country,” Hill said in a release. “To be part of NBC’s return to the NBA — a network with such a rich basketball legacy — and its debut on Peacock is truly an honor. I can’t wait to get started this fall.”
Maria Taylor named lead NBA and WNBA studio host for NBC Sports
Maria Taylor has been named NBC Sports’ lead NBA and WNBA studio host for the company’s upcoming NBA coverage on NBC and Peacock, an industry source briefed on the move said Monday. NBC Sports will make the news official later Monday.
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Taylor will host NBA studio shows on Sunday and Tuesday nights as part of a group that includes Carmelo Anthony and Vince Carter. Taylor will also host select WNBA games on NBC and Peacock when the company begins airing the WNBA in the spring of 2026. (NBC will air the 2026 WNBA semifinals and Finals.)
“The whole way media works and television works has changed so dramatically,” Silver said. “Just by way of example, all of us of a certain age know it used to be the case that new programs launched in the fall. There were never new programs in the summer. Nobody thinks that way anymore. New programs are launching all the time on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Peacock, whatever service you use. We don’t think that way. “Ratings have changed from what they used to be. Netflix is the most valuable pure play media company out there. Nobody in this room knows what their ratings are. We don’t even think in terms of ratings. We think maybe in terms of popularity, buzz around a program. We’re going through a transition, and we’re going to work through that.”
Mike Vorkunov: The NBA has considered launching a local League Pass, but that likely wouldn’t be until the 2026-27 season at the earliest. It has spoken to Amazon, Apple, YouTube, DAZN, Disney, and Peacock about that idea, and has also considered doing that itself through the NBA App.
The NBA has considered launching a local League Pass, but that likely wouldn’t be until the 2026-27 season at the earliest. It has spoken to Amazon, Apple, YouTube, DAZN, Disney, and Peacock about that idea, and has also considered doing that itself through the NBA App.
At its Upfront presentation at Radio City Music Hall on Monday, NBCUniversal showed off some new features that are planned for Peacock when the NBA makes its debut on the streaming platform this fall. Among them are key play highlights, games, and optional realtime overlay stats and graphics.
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The first thing users will notice is NBC Sports’ effort to throw you directly into a game trough the “Live In Browse” presentation on the Peacock homepage. Live game action will play in the background on the home screen and will instantly stream at full screen when selected. Those tuning in late will be able to access highlights in “Catch Up with Key Plays” which is available on any device, including mobile devices.
Vince Carter to join NBC Sports
Vince Carter, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and an eight-time NBA All-Star who is widely considered one of the greatest dunkers in NBA history, will join NBC Sports as a studio analyst when the NBA returns to NBC and debuts on Peacock this October. Carter played a record 22 seasons in the NBA, spending most of his time with the Toronto Raptors (1998-2004) and New Jersey Nets (2004-2009), both of whom retired his No. 15 jersey. His lengthy and illustrious career saw him earn multiple accolades and awards, including his induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024.
NBC will bring back “Roundball Rock,” its beloved sports theme song, next season when the network begins its 11-year media rights deal to air NBA games. Music composer and radio and TV personality John Tesh wrote “Roundball Rock,” which became popular during NBC’s coverage of the league from 1990 to 2002. Fans will hear the song again for NBA coverage across NBC and Peacock after the league signed a blockbuster 11-year, $77 billion deal with ESPN, Amazon and NBC, beginning in 2025-26.
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