Stern, Karmazin Chat About NBA TV Rights, But Move Unlikely

Viacom President & COO Mel Karmazin "was in deep discussions" with NBA Commissioner David Stern at Herb Allen's annual CEO retreat in ID, "sparking talk that he's trying to lure the hoop action" from NBC to CBS and its cable nets, according to Keith Kelly of the N.Y. POST. But TV insiders said that it "is unlikely CBS would make a bid for the NBA." As Stern met with Karmazin, Stern "snapped" at a reporter, saying, "Could we have a little privacy?" One source, on the talks: "It could be a backdoor move by Karmazin to get basketball back on CBS. At the very least, by holding the talks, he could end up costing NBC $200[M] to $300[M] more" to re-up for the TV rights (N.Y. POST, 7/12).

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