Full interview here with Dan Patrick. Below part around the 3:15 mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPB1-DT3b0Q

Truncated transcript.

Dan: Does the show look like the same show? Is it just Inside the NBA but on ESPN?

Charles: Dan, we don’t even know. That’s one of the reasons I was waiting. TNT is trying to do something stupid behind the scenes. We taped a pilot about a month ago, and it was the stupidest s**t I’ve ever seen in my life.

Dan: What do you mean you taped a pilot?

Charles: We're only probably going to be working for ESPN like half the time, maybe a third of the time. So TNT wants to do something too. We taped a pilot, and it was the stupidest thing ever.

Dan: So you’re still going to do an NBA show on TNT and a show on ESPN?

Charles: Yes. But if they’re being honest, we’re probably only working on ESPN a third to half the time. TNT is trying to do something — and it’s stupid for a couple reasons. First, we won’t have basketball highlights. Second, we’ll be going up against an NBA game. Nobody’s going to turn off an NBA game on Amazon, ESPN, or NBC to watch four dudes sit around talking about nothing.

It’s complicated. We taped a pilot doing stupid stuff. It was just stupid. I wouldn’t want to go out like that.

Dan: Is this like a second screen or a ManningCast-style thing?

Charles: Dan, they don’t know what the hell they’re doing. I’ll admit, TNT at least said the pilot was awful. So they were honest.

The problem is, we’ll be going up against NBA games every night. So they want to feel like they’re getting something from us to make us earn our TNT money.

Dan: What's the show called on TNT and ESPN?

Charles: I think it's still Inside the NBA. I think on ESPN and ABC it'll just be Inside the NBA as well.

Dan: That’s not confusing…

Charles: The funny thing is, we didn’t have any NBA footage in the pilot — because we have no rights to it! So we sat there for like an hour and a half taping this pilot, looking at each other like, “What the hell are we doing?” And again, TNT said, “Yeah that was really stupid, we gotta figure something out.”

(Chuck also talked about retiring after two years, but he does that every year.)

29 comments

  2. I would absolutely DVR a show of them shooting the shit about basketball even if it is on at the same time as an nba game

  3. TNT: We appear to have the rights to these four guys and that’s it, so we’re gonna make them dance for us regardless.

  4. Love or hate him but mcafee kinda opened the door to ESPN just buying up products and showing it on their platform. Hopefully it’s the same for inside the NBA and it seems to be with how they’re retaining the whole crew of the show minus the ingame stuff.

  7. “Nobody’s going to turn off an NBA game on Amazon, ESPN, or NBC to watch four dudes sit around talking about nothing.” Lol I beg to differ Chuck. It may just be anecdotal, but I know a lot of casuals and non-NBA fans who would tune into Inside the NBA just for the banter and shenanigans.

  8. “So they send me out onto the streets of San Antonio with a microphone and a cameraman, and…”

  9. If they want Inside the NBA to just be an on TV podcast, I’m with it, I’d happily have that on whilst watching a game too.

    I mean, as the joke goes, Inside the NBA is a comedy show with basketball highlights in the middle.

  11. > First, we won’t have basketball highlights. Second, we’ll be going up against an NBA game. Nobody’s going to turn off an NBA game on Amazon, ESPN, or NBC to watch four dudes sit around talking about nothing.

    > **Charles**: The funny thing is, we didn’t have any NBA footage in the pilot — because we have no rights to it! So we sat there for like an hour and a half taping this pilot, looking at each other like, “What the hell are we doing?” And again, TNT said, “Yeah that was really stupid, we gotta figure something out.”

    imagine if the Inside crew manages to make a highlight-less/footage-less talk show airing at the same time as NBA games, a commercial success. it would be a sobering statement about whether fans of the NBA even prefer watching games.

  13. So TNT was just going to air a podcast lol? No rights to the highlights in a basketball show on tv is hilarious honestly

  14. I wouldn’t be surprised if they deal with espn falls apart I just don’t think it’s gonna be good

  15. All time fumble for TNT, thinking these guys can do anything without NBA clips is insane coping

  16. How TNT fumbled Inside the NBA and their NBA rights should be a case study in all business schools

  17. Guess people were right that ESPN was going to fill 2/3 of the time with more ads

  19. One of the best things they did is when they had old stars sit around a ring of couches and talk about certain players or events in nba history. That was fun

  21. TNT just needs to sell off the show completely. If there is no other sport they can cover then it doesn’t make sense to have them cover the NBA if they can’t even show highlights of the sport.

  22. They should do that shit that Ahmad Rashad use to do back in the day just pick brains of nba players outside of what we normally get to see

    Problem is people got podcasts n shit so it could be redundant

  23. I really liked the Open Court round discussions where they would just talk about basketball history and the stories of their playing days. Perhaps in the new age where everyone has a podcast this wouldn’t be profitable for the network but TNT would be able to gather a considerable roster for the discussions and EJ is one of the greatest hosts ever so I think there’s an audience for it.

    That being said it’s understandable TNT would want something that actually covers the games somewhat during the season which something like Open Court wouldn’t do outside of season previews and debriefs.

  24. The extent to which Chuck is able to just say whatever he wants without fear of any repercussions whatsoever is pretty incredible.

  25. > “Nobody’s going to turn off an NBA game on Amazon, ESPN, or NBC to watch four dudes sit around talking about nothing.”

    Chuck buddy, you’re severely underestimating us.

  26. They should just do a modern version of Open Court. It was basically what Inside the NBA would look like in a setting with no game to broadcast or analyze. Getting rights for classic highlights should be cheaper than getting the entire rights to the NBA

  28. it wouldn’t work anymore because they dont have the whole cast of characters but back in the day they did open court and i thought that was a great long form show that didn’t need current active basketball highlights, all those guys have left turner now though

  29. TNT has got to be furious that he’s saying this publicly right? Not that they can do anything about it.

    Also, I wonder how ESPN feels about this. They probably already know but it’s weird.

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