When Warner Bros. Discovery took a diminished function within the upcoming 11-year NBA rights deal, the corporate’s sports activities future appeared a bit shorthanded. The purpose was lately underlined at WBD’s upfront occasion, when TNT Sports activities chairman Luis Silberwasser famous what the corporate’s sports activities rights appeared like a 12 months in the past earlier than displaying what they seem like at present.

The NBA wasn’t a key participant.

Regardless of that change, this 12 months’s board nonetheless had a veteran lineup together with NCAA males’s faculty basketball March Insanity, the Nationwide Hockey League (NHL), and Main League Baseball (MLB), whereas including the School Soccer Playoffs (on a sublicence from ESPN), Large 12 faculty soccer and basketball (additionally licensed from ESPN), Large East faculty basketball, Unmatched ladies’s basketball, NASCAR, Roland-Garros (aka The French Open), the FIFA Membership World Cup soccer event, and different collegiate occasions.

Nevertheless, past its sports activities broadcast rights, TNT Sports activities’ true power—and what’s driving it into the long run—is its folks. As its lineup of sports activities companions modifications, the corporate is leaning into its acquainted roster, presentation, and its comforts that defy media rights.

The worth of that formulation is clear in TNT Sports activities persevering with to develop content material for the NBA past its earlier rights deal. Amongst these alternatives, the corporate will proceed producing Contained in the NBA for ABC and ESPN.

Craig Barry, TNT Sports activities’ evp and chief content material officer, credit the corporate’s people-first tradition for its resilience.

Barry, who has been with TNT Sports activities since serving as a manufacturing assistant for then-Turner Sports activities in 1989, stated persistently values are why he’s in a position to go searching numerous exhibits and divisions and see greater than a dozen folks—together with Contained in the NBA hosts Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley—who’ve stayed for greater than 20 years.

“Regardless that we’ve gone by way of 5 mergers and acquisitions, at our very core, there’s a little of that maverick Ted Turner spirit. It actually lives in most of us who’ve been right here a very long time,” Barry stated. “If you wish to work in a spot the place it’s okay to do issues slightly in a different way, the place it’s okay to take possibilities and be applauded for it, and have alternatives that stretch previous what the job description may be, you then’d be very snug right here.”

TNT Sports chairman and CEO Luis Silberwasser
Chairman and CEO Luis Silberwasser walks patrons by way of TNT Sports activities’ extra strong 2025-2026 partnership lineup.Courtesy of Warner Bros. Discovery