Knicks' James Dolan Rips Media Deal

James Dolan has publicly criticized the new NBA media rights deal, which should affect the New York Knicks and the other 29 teams.

Jeremy Brener | Jul 15, 2024

May 19, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks executive chairman James Dolan sits court side during the first quarter of game seven of the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

In this story:

New York Knicks

The NBA reached an agreement on a new media rights deal set to begin in the 2025-26 season, but New York Knicks executive chairman James Dolan isn't a fan.

Dolan believes that the new media deal penalizes franchises that achieve higher revenue, like the Knicks, and rewards lesser teams to give more equity around the league.

"Due to revenue pooling, you are guaranteed to be neither a success nor a failure….Of course, to get there, the league must take down the successful franchises and redistribute to the less successful. This new media deal goes a long way to accomplishing that goal," Dolan said via ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski. “The NBA has made the move to an NFL model...We are well on our way to becoming a one size fits all, characterless organization. Just remember we did this on the backs of owners like Jerry Buss,"

In the new media rights deal, platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Peacock and NBC will have the opportunity to air games along with ESPN and ABC. There will be available games on a streaming service or a local channel seven days a week, which could be seen as a good thing. However, this also means that fewer games will air on the regional sports networks, or RSN's. This means that MSG, which airs majority of Knicks games during the season, will have fewer eyeballs and won't make as much money during the season.

Ultimately, there are a lot of benefits to this new media rights deal for the league as a whole. The exposure to a broader audience is what the NBA is hoping for, and this can achieve that. However, Dolan points out some drawbacks and is the first governor of a team to openly criticize the idea.

Make sure you bookmark All Knicks for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Published Jul 15, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.