“I Don’t Want to Overstep”: Amid $100 Billion TV Rights Deal, NBA Should Learn from the NFL, Implies Rich Paul

The NBA’s media rights deal occurs once in about a decade or more and is pivotal for the organization as it changes the entire landscape of media ownership. About two decades ago, the NBA made a significant move by shifting a majority of their games from free over-the-air television to cable networks, where viewers had to pay to watch.

The current deal was set in 2014 and is to be concluded following the 2024-25 season. After this, a fresh deal will take its place starting in 2025, where the NBA will potentially shift to streaming platforms. Unlocking the new era, the NBA is likely to pursue a media rights package with a projected worth of about $1 billion. Big companies like Apple, Amazon, Google, and Discord already have their eyes set on the deal. Amidst this chaos, Rich Paul, founder and CEO of Klutch Sports and one of the NBA’s most successful agents, gives his perspective on the NBA’s new venture.

Rich Paul compares the NFL and the NBA

Rich Paul joins Matt Belloni in his podcast ‘The Town With Matt Belloni‘. In the context of the discussion, Paul says that every business and/or organization will evolve as time progresses, which will inevitably bring about both perks and challenges.

The veteran sports agent admits that he likes the aspect of the games being broadcasted on free cable networks but at the same time he cannot overstep in the conversation with regard to what is best for the business. He says, “I would have to have a deep conversation with owners to understand better but they’re giving them help for a reason, they’re giving them aid. And that means that it’s important for viewership for sure.”

Paul compares the NBA with the NFL in terms of reaching their audience and he believes that the NFL “has done a pretty decent job of balancing it out and getting as many eyes as possible.” This is in reference to NFL testing the waters with Amazon, but only restricting it to ‘Thursday Night Football’. The NFL’s philosophy as we call it, is to reach as many people as possible, and Paul hints that maybe the NBA could take a similar route, which would not affect the viewership.

The engagement matters

In case the NBA approaches the negotiations from a money standpoint, looking out to get the most out of the deal, the salaries of the players might potentially increase but if this affects the viewership, it will hurt the players in the long run.

In this regard, Paul stressed the importance of retaining as much engagement as possible, especially from the younger audience, “how do we get the younger fan to be more engaged for a longer period of time, right? And actually want to go to a game. And actually want to watch a game.”

What do you think of Paul’s take on the situation? Let us know in the comments.