NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that he "expects the league to benefit" from the battle between Comcast and Disney for the majority of Fox' media assets, "regardless of which suitor pulls ahead," according to Carl O'Donnell of REUTERS. Silver at Allen & Co.'s Sun Valley Conference yesterday said, "Whatever happens will be positive for us." Silver also "hinted that in the fight for Fox, he was rooting for Disney," which pays the NBA "richly to carry its games." Silver: "I am a big [Disney Chair & CEO] Bob Iger fan of course. Disney is one of our partners so in a way I'm rooting for them." Silver also said that Comcast Chair & CEO Brian Roberts is a "superb executive," noting the company's NBC Sports RSNs carry NBA games. Silver said that he is "looking forward" to working with AT&T, which just acquired NBA partner Turner Sports as part of its deal for Time Warner. Silver said that interest from tech companies like Amazon for sports rights is also a "positive" (REUTERS, 7/11). CNBC's Julia Boorstin noted Silver at Sun Valley talked about how "media consolidation, including AT&T's recent acquisition of Time Warner, is a win for the sports rights holders in general for all of the leagues." Boorstin: "He says it brings more technology and data and tools to their fans" ("Squawk Box," CNBC, 7/12).
