Charles Barkley, star of TNT Sports, reaffirmed his plan to retire after the 2017 NBA season just weeks after declaring he would do so on Tuesday, saying he will remain with Warner Bros. Discovery. The Wall Street Journal reports that TNT may rename the venerable Inside the NBA studio show to a more comprehensive program encompassing all sports. The network’s plans for Barkley are taking shape.
TNT might rename Inside the NBA as Inside Sports, allowing Barkley and the other cast members to talk about all sports, according to a Wall Street Journal story published Tuesday by Joe Flint and Amol Sharma. TNT and TBS will carry college basketball, football, baseball, hockey, and tennis under the WBD banner, even though they will probably lose the NBA.
One concept the business is considering for Barkley is a potential “Inside Sports” series that would let him discuss various sports that TNT offers. According to someone familiar with the situation, TNT also carries Major League Baseball, college football and basketball, and hockey on its sibling stations.
The litigation has very high stakes. Warner will have to carry on without the NBA if the league wins. The league’s carefully established agreements with other partners might be upset if Warner prevails. If any games are awarded to another broadcaster, NBC has the authority to end its agreement, according to people who know the situation.
‘Inside the NBA’ Future Strategies Seems To Convince Charles Barkley To Stay With TNT
As a member of NBA 75 and the Basketball Hall of Fame, Barkley has previously participated in TNT’s broadcasts on hockey and golf. But his primary association is basketball. Several reports show Barkley’s contract with TNT does not include an opt-out clause, making it more difficult for him to continue covering basketball for another network.
Instead, it seems Barkley will stay at TNT and expand his horizons (at least for now). John Ourand of Puck previously revealed that WBD is still hopeful that Barkley will be able to contribute to political discourse on CNN.
With WBD’s extensive sports rights (barring the NFL), “Inside Sports” would have no shortage of highlights to work with. Moreover, they could preserve the relationship between Barkley, Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith. After WBD sued the NBA last week, the league may reach a compromise with TNT that would grant it highlight rights. It will be risky to remove Barkley from his league, though.
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