Warner Bros. Discovery Stock Plunges Over 6% on NBA TV Rights Loss

Macquarie Research, which downgraded the stock Thursday, argued that while WBD intends to litigate the decision, it’s “hard to see an amicable endgame”

Streaming-Theatrical- David Zaslav attends HBO's "House Of The Dragon" Season 2 Premiere at Hammerstein Ballroom on June 03, 2024 in New York City.
David Zaslav (Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

Warner Bros. Discovery shares fell over 6% during Thursday’s trading session following news that the NBA had rejected its matching proposal and would move forward with 11-year agreements with Amazon, NBC and Disney.

On Thursday, WBD stock was downgraded from “outperform” to “neutral” by Macquarie Research analyst Tim Nollen, who argued that the company is now losing a “core content asset” for its linear networks and Max streaming service.

The deals, which are reportedly worth a collective $76 billion, start in the 2025-26 season and run through 2036. Some 75 regular-season games will be on broadcast TV each season, up from the minimum of 15 games under the current agreement.

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