In the first year of its new media rights deal with ESPN/ABC, NBC, and Amazon, the NBA is projecting a total of $14.3 billion in overall gross revenue for the 2025/26 season, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico.
That would represent a 12% increase on last season’s $12.75 billion in league-wide revenue, Badenhausen writes, adding that the league shared the projection with team owners in September.
The $14.3 billion projection takes into account all of the revenue generated by the league and its teams, with the exception of the money teams make from non-NBA events at the arenas they own and operate, Badenhausen explains. While many revenue streams factor into the total, the $76 billion media deal is a driving factor in the projected increase — each team’s TV revenue will rise from $103MM to $143MM this season, Badenhausen says, with that number increasing by 7% annually going forward.
Basketball-related income, which represents a portion of the league’s total revenue, is the figure used to the NBA’s salary cap from year to year. Last season, Badenhausen notes, the NBA’s BRI ($10.25 billion) came in lower than anticipated, having been negatively impacted by a turbulent local media landscape and the fact that multiple small-market teams made deep postseason runs, which reduced overall gate receipts for the playoffs. As a result, players had to return roughly $484MM to teams to meet the 51/49 revenue split between players and owners.
However, the new media rights deal should help ensure a larger BRI figure in 2025/26, which bodes well for players retaining their full salaries (or even receiving supplemental checks) and for the growth of the salary cap going forward.
This is wild, considering in 2011, it was $4 billion, and in that same time frame mlb has had much smaller growth. 3.5x…Adam Silver and these owners arent going to let domestic expansion happen cheaply, which is why they’re looking at making other entire leagues, likely to try to cut off other likely efforts, with content being what it is, sportswashing being what it is, the talent across the world, and players with a lot of money themselves…
The next 5-10 years are going to be interesting to see; they’ve already sacrificed a lot the last couple of years for content purposes; hopefully certain rules dont end up turning up that totally change the game. I hope they end up eventually figuring out expansion, but its obvious these owners are making too much money as is to let anyone in
2011 NBA – 4B (? – Not Forbes though)
2011 MLB – 6.3B (Forbes)
2024 NBA – 11.3B (Forbes)
2024 MLB – 12.1B (Forbes)
I’m not sure what you’re trying to say about revenues. But considering the perception of a much larger international presence and fan base I’d argue this shows MLB has done a really good job recapturing market share and domestic eyeballs.
It will be see interesting to see what the growth starved billionaires do with NBA expansion. I think they’re right, just expanding slices up the pie further without much benefit to anything but the product/cities. I think the real issue is how ticky tacky the games are. Between the 3 or paint offenses and officiating dragging out and impacting the end of games it doesn’t feel like “sport” anymore as much as simulations with humans as RNGs.
Nba deserves this
Good clean sport
Avoids controversy
Not like other sports with questionable commissioners who make unnecessary rule changes, or players who arent honest, or deals that seem shady
Nba Players treat the game with respect, guys you can rly look up to
My heart is full of warmth knowing nba revenue is over $14bil
Couldnt have happened to a better sport
What point are you trying to make here? Or are you just pathetically caterwauling for brownie points?
chandler is a troll that just says whatever to get engagement.
I get that you’re being facetious, but the things you are referring to is minor issues IMO.
I have been against the NBA getting involved with betting. The real issue there for me is not the isolated trying to take advantage, but each time these announcers, like Kenny and Charles, promote gambling several times during a game.
How can they with a straight face, especially Kenny, talk about civil rights and black issue, and then steer their audience, with a likely high black audience, towards gambling. Or these athletes selling overpriced sneakers to their inner city kids, to make extra money.
On gambling sites that have already been in trouble for specifically targeting poor black audiences.
Silver loves touting out the revenue, but refuses to reveal the profits
Player contracts are tax write-offs as depreciating assets
This is what happens when you have little bit of knowledge, but apply it completely wrong, LOL!!!
That’s cool