• Mediaweek, Tuesday, June 13, 2006 11:30 AM

Hoping to take advantage of some ratings gains during the recent playoffs, the commissioner of the National Basketball Association wants to renew the league's TV rights agreements well in advance of when the current ones expire, reports Mediaweek. David Stern tells the magazine that he wants deals in place with ESPN/ABC and TNT by the end of this year--a full 18 months before expiration. "It is our intention to sit down and see if we can extend the deals, and would like to do so with our current partners," Stern says. Some conversations have already taken place, he adds, albeit just "generalities and us exchanging vows of loyalty and mutual admiration." John Skipper, executive vice president of content at ESPN/ABC Sports, confirms the early discussions and notes that "getting a new deal done by the end of this year is a doable time frame." Under the current pacts, ESPN/ABC pays $400 million a year, while TNT is on the hook for $366 million.

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