Michael Jordan #23 and Scottie Pippen #33
In the pantheon of TV sports theme songs, “Roundball Rock,” John Tisch’s anthem that accompanied National Basketball Association games on NBC until 2002, is surely the greatest.
If NBCUniversal wins the rights to broadcast the NBA again, it will have the opportunity to bring back the iconic tune, the musician told CNBC in an email.
Comcast’s NBCUniversal has made an offer that averages $2.5 billion a year to regain NBA rights after losing them 22 years ago. DisneyAccording to people familiar with the matter. The Wall Street Journal First reported Details of NBC’s bid.
The NBA wants three media partners this time around, and is close to deals with both Disney and Amazon for two packages. A third will likely go. Warner Bros. Discovery or NBCUniversal, but not both, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions are private.
Warner Bros. is in talks with the league to retain the Discovery rights. Still, NBCUniversal’s offer is more than the $1.2 billion that Warner Bros. Discovery currently pays. That could be too costly for Warner Bros. Discovery, whose market capitalization has shrunk to $18 billion. Comcast150 billion dollars.
Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive Officer David Zaslav has delivered a message of financial discipline since taking over the company, including cutting jobs and spending on content, reducing debt and boosting free cash flow. He has said that he is not interested in being in the “rental business”, as in the nature of licensing sports rights, although he has He also expressed hope about retaining the rights of the NBA.
Spokesmen for Warner Bros. Discovery, NBC and the NBA declined to comment.
‘Round ball’ rights
Nostalgic NBA fans associate “Roundball Rock” with “The NBA on NBC” and An era defined by Michael Jordan, the dominance of the Chicago Bulls and the voices of Bob Costas and Marv Albert. USA Today Voted for it #1 in the “25 Best Sports TV Themes” ranking of 2017. The Ringer published one. Oral history Essay on its origin, and NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” Made a complete diagram about it.
The song hasn’t heralded the start of an NBA game since 2002, when NBC aired its last league contest. Fox Sports acquired the rights to the theme to be used. College basketball for the 2018-19 season, but a generation of fans still associate the tune with NBC.
If NBC Sports wins the rights, it is free to license “Roundball Rock” again from Tish, who owns the song, the musician said in an email.
TV personality John Tash visits Hallmark Channel’s “Home and Family” at Universal Studios Hollywood on March 06, 2020 in Universal City, California.
Getty Images
Tish said Fox’s deal for “Roundball Rock” does not prevent any media company from using the song for NBA games.
Media companies typically buy song rights in three-year increments, Tesch said. He declined to say how much he is paid because the contracts include non-disclosure agreements, but Tish noted that he is also compensated with royalties based on how often he is played. goes Ringer Reported In 2020, Tash’s streak aired an estimated 12,000 times on “NBA on NBC” from 1990-2002.
“It’s funny how people fight for a song,” Tish said. “In the 1990s, it was just another theme. Now the Internet is full of people playing the song on ukuleles, Casios and teaching it on guitar. We still play the song at every concert and there are YouTube videos of these people. show.”
If the NBA returns to NBC, it will begin in the 2025-26 season. And rest assured, fans: “Roundball Rock” is available.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC.
Credit : www.cnbc.com
