The NBA signed its 11-year media rights deal with Disney, NBC and Amazon Prime Video on Wednesday after saying it was not accepting Warner Bros. Discovery's $1.8 billion per year offer to continue its longtime relationship with the league.

The media rights deals were approved by the league's board of governors last week and will bring the league about $76 billion over those 11 years.

WBD had five days to match a part of those deals and said it was exercising its right to do so, but its offer was not considered a true match by the NBA. That means the 2024-25 season will be the last for TNT after a nearly four-decade run -- though not long after the signing was announced, WBD said it would take "appropriate action" and said it believes the NBA has to accept its offer.

"The digital opportunities with Amazon align perfectly with the global interest in the NBA," league commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "And Prime Video's massive subscriber base will dramatically expand our ability to reach our fans in new and innovative ways."

Turner Sports strongly disagreed with the NBA's move, saying it believes the league "grossly misinterpreted our contractual rights."

"We have matched the Amazon offer, as we have a contractual right to do, and do not believe the NBA can reject it," TNT Sports said in a statement. "In doing so, they are rejecting the many fans who continue to show their unwavering support for our best-in-class coverage, delivered through the full combined reach of WBD's video-first distribution platforms. ... We will take appropriate action."

TNT said it continues looking forward to the coming season, "including our iconic 'Inside the NBA.'"

Under the new deal, Amazon Prime Video will carry games on Friday nights, select Saturday afternoons and Thursday night doubleheaders that will begin after the conclusion of Prime Video's "Thursday Night Football" schedule. Prime Video will also take over the NBA League Pass package from WBD.

"Warner Bros. Discovery's most recent proposal did not match the terms of Amazon Prime Video's offer and, therefore, we have entered into a long-term arrangement with Amazon," the NBA said Wednesday. "Throughout these negotiations, our primary objective has been to maximize the reach and accessibility of our games for our fans. Our new arrangement with Amazon supports this goal by complementing the broadcast, cable and streaming packages that are already part of our new Disney and NBCUniversal arrangements. All three partners have also committed substantial resources to promote the league and enhance the fan experience."

The new package on Amazon also includes at least one game on Black Friday and the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship game of the league's in-season tournament, the NBA Cup.

"Over the past few years, we have worked hard to bring the very best of sports to Prime Video and to continue to innovate on the viewing experience," said Jay Marine, global head of sports for Prime Video. "We're thrilled to now add the NBA to our growing sports lineup, including the NFL, UEFA Champions League, NASCAR, NHL, WNBA, NWSL, Wimbledon and more. We are grateful to partner with the NBA and can't wait to tip off in 2025."

ESPN and ABC will keep the league's top package, which includes the NBA Finals. ABC has carried the Finals since 2003.

ESPN/ABC will combine for nearly 100 games during the regular season. More than 20 games will air on ABC, mainly on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons, while ESPN will have up to 60 games, mostly on Wednesday nights with some Friday games. ABC and ESPN also will combine for five games on Christmas Day and have exclusive national coverage of the final day of the regular season.

During the playoffs, ESPN and ABC will have approximately 18 games in the first two rounds each year and one of the two conference finals series in all but one year of the agreement.

Shortly after the NBA's announcement, the WNBA announced its own 11-year media rights partnerships with Disney, Amazon Prime and NBC, under which the league will receive about $200 million per year, a source told ESPN's Alexa Philippou.

Beginning with the 2025-26 season, Disney's package of WNBA and NBA games will be available to stream on its digital platforms, including on Disney+ in select markets around the world.

"As the media landscape continues to evolve, this forward-thinking agreement represents a significant and bold step in our mission to serve sports fans, anytime, anywhere, including opportunities to successfully navigate the global digital transition," ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. "Through a premium collection of regular- and post-season game rights, culminating with the NBA Finals and WNBA Finals, plus studio and original content initiatives, we look forward to building upon our legacy of innovation with the NBA and continuing to play an important role in the extraordinary growth trajectory of the WNBA."

The return of NBC, which carried NBA games from 1990 through 2002, gives the NBA two broadcast network partners for the first time.

NBC will have up to 100 regular-season games, including on Sunday night once the NFL season has ended. It will air games on Tuesdays throughout the regular season, while a Monday night doubleheader would be exclusively streamed on Peacock.

NBC will also have the All-Star Game and All-Star Saturday Night. During the playoffs, NBC and/or Peacock will have up to 28 games the first two rounds, with at least half on NBC.

NBC and Amazon also will carry one of the two conference finals series in six of the 11 years on a rotating basis. NBC will have a conference final in 2026-27 followed by Amazon the next season.

"The return of NBA basketball to the NBC Sports family comes with enormous benefits and excitement for our fans," Silver said. "And through its multiple platforms -- especially NBC and Peacock -- and its expansive resources, NBCUniversal promises to build on the deep tradition and history of the NBA on NBC."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Rawalpindi: In response to government road closures and arrests, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) shifted its strategy and announced sit-ins at three locations in the federal capital on Friday.

Following JI's call for protests against increased power bills, containers were placed to block routes from the Red Zone and Rawalpindi to the capital, and the metro bus service in Rawalpindi was suspended, causing significant inconvenience for passengers.

Key intersections in the Red Zone, such as D Chowk, Nadra Chowk, and Sarina Chowk, have been sealed with containers.

Police have also arrested JI workers from various locations. However, JI has now revised its approach.

JI spokesperson Qaiser Sharif reported that 1,150 party workers were arrested nationwide. He announced sit-ins at Murree Road in Rawalpindi, Zero Point in Islamabad, and Chungi No 26, with Hafiz Naeemur Rehman leading the sit-in at Zero Point in Islamabad.

Section 144 in Punjab, Islamabad

The federal and Punjab governments have imposed Section 144 in Punjab and Islamabad amid PTI and JI plans for nationwide protests. According to the notification, Section 144 will be in effect from Friday, July 26 to Sunday, July 28.

The Home Department stated that there would be a ban on rallies, sit-ins, and protests from July 26 to 28 due to terrorism threats, as public gatherings could be easy targets for militants.

JI Secretary General Ameerul Azeem claimed that police conducted raids on the homes of JI leaders in various cities, targeting them to disrupt the demonstration. He reported numerous incidents of police raids, arrests, and mistreatment of women.

Govt warned

Earlier on Thursday, JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman warned the government that it would be held responsible if the party is prevented from entering Islamabad for their planned protest against electricity price hikes and inflation. He stated that they believe in peaceful political resistance to secure public rights and are not afraid of arrests.

Rehman emphasized that the historic sit-in on Friday, July 26, will represent 250 million Pakistanis and will be held peacefully at D-Chowk. He noted that convoys from across the country were on their way to join the sit-in and urged the administration to provide a venue for the protest. He also welcomed any political party that wishes to participate.

Ahead of the sit-in, police in various areas of Punjab and Rawalpindi raided the homes of JI leaders and officials, arresting several. The police raided the house of JI's central secretary general, Ameerul Azim, but did not find him, instead arresting his driver, Shaukat Mahmood.

President Joe Biden’s unwavering support for Israel’s war in Gaza created a rift between moderates and progressives in his party. Now that he has stepped aside in the 2024 presidential race, the question is whether Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, would chart a different path forward as president. One early signal that she might: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress on Wednesday, and Harris did not preside in her role as vice president due to a previously scheduled event she chose to attend in Indianapolis. A slew of congressional Democrats (not just progressives) decided not to attend in protest of Netanyahu’s strategy in Gaza. Harris will meet with Netanyahu one-on-one on Thursday in her ceremonial office in the Old Executive Office Building, and the Wall Street Journal reported that she is expected to tell him “it is time for the war to end in a way where Israel is secure, all hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can enjoy their right to dignity, freedom, and self-determination.” Only days into her campaign, Harris has yet to articulate her Gaza policy, but the fact that she is not attending Netanyahu’s speech and privately communicating the urgency of a ceasefire signals that she might not follow Biden’s lead in giving the Israeli leader a “bear hug.” Biden literally embraced Netanyahu on the tarmac when the president landed in Tel Aviv in November as a symbolic gesture of unequivocal support for Israel, and has since kept the prime minister close metaphorically, offering military and financial support. If Harris does change course, even slightly, that could alter the US-Israel relationship, but could also have important electoral consequences as well. --- President Joe Biden endorsed Kamala Harris for president. Here’s what to know about her. Vice President Kamala Harris could replace Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket in 2024. * What happened last time Harris ran for president * Does Harris give Democrats a better chance in 2024? * Who could be Harris’s running mate? * Why is everyone talking about Harris and coconut trees? * Harris’s strengths and vulnerabilities as a presidential candidate --- What does Kamala Harris think about Israel and the war in Gaza? Harris has longstanding ties to the American Jewish community and Israeli interest groups. Her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, is Jewish and has been at the forefront of the Biden administration’s initiative against antisemitism since Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel. She has a good working relationship with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who shares a passion for climate issues. She has also been on every one of the more than 20 phone calls that Biden has had with Netanyahu throughout the war. In her presidential bid, she has won the backing of major Jewish interest groups, including Democratic Majority for Israel, J Street, and the Jewish Democratic Council of America. She also has connections to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and gave a speech at the organization’s annual conference in 2017 soon after she was elected to the US Senate, saying that one of her first acts in office was to introduce a resolution opposing a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israel. At the time, she said, “I believe the bonds between the United States and Israel are unbreakable.” After protesters outside Congress burned the American flag during Netanyahu’s visit, Harris issued a statement Thursday condemning that action and condemning “any individuals associating with the brutal terrorist organization Hamas, which has vowed to annihilate the State of Israel and kill Jews.” Concerning the war in Gaza, Harris has repeatedly upheld Israel’s “right to defend itself” against Hamas and emphasized that the threat posed by Hamas to Israel must be “eliminated.” This suggests she’s largely in agreement with Biden’s posture. Harris has, however, taken a sharper tone than Biden concerning Israel’s treatment of civilians in Gaza. In a high-profile speech in March, she became the first person in the Biden administration to call for an immediate ceasefire, albeit only a temporary one. She also said that the Israeli government must do more to increase the flow of aid to Gaza, “no excuses,” and called the situation in Gaza a “humanitarian catastrophe.” The version of the speech that was ultimately delivered had reportedly been softened from its original draft, which more directly criticized Israel for its obstruction of aid trucks into Gaza. She also has expressed empathy for student protesters on college campuses who are horrified by the death and destruction in Gaza and have attempted to pressure their schools into cutting ties with Israel. “They are showing exactly what the human emotion should be, as a response to Gaza,” Harris told the Nation. “There are things some of the protesters are saying that I absolutely reject, so I don’t mean to wholesale endorse their points. But we have to navigate it. I understand the emotion behind it.” If she becomes president, the Wall Street Journal reported that Harris is expected to replace some of the chief architects of the Biden administration’s strategy in Gaza, including national security adviser Jake Sullivan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. It’s to be expected that a new president would want their own team in place, but any changes would open up possibilities for taking a different tack. Harris’s national security adviser, Philip Gordon, has emphasized diplomatic rather than military solutions in foreign policy and written extensively about the difficulties of regime change in the Middle East. That background may prove relevant as Israel seeks to root out Hamas and install a new government in Gaza. All of this suggests that Harris might be somewhat to Biden’s left on Gaza — but by how much is an open question and one that she will have to clarify. “She does have an opportunity. She’s using the right language in some instances. But we need a clearer explanation from her on where she stands,” said Abed Ayoub, national legal and policy director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. And — as with Joe Biden’s campaign promises to make Saudi Arabia a pariah state — there’s always a chance that what Harris does eventually say while campaigning may change once she’s in office. Biden’s Gaza policy has been divisive Politically, Harris faces the quandary of determining if — and by how much — she should distance herself from Biden’s record on Gaza, which has fractured the Democratic base. Biden at one point paused shipments of large munitions to Israel over concerns about how they would be potentially used against civilians in Gaza but has otherwise continued to offer material support for the war, even after Israeli operations in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah wreaked widespread destruction. Over 39,000 Palestinians have already died in the course of the conflict, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. In May, Biden called for a deal to end the war and return the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza, while continuing to advocate for a two-state solution to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But the Israeli parliament has since voted to reject a two-state solution and ceasefire talks are still ongoing two months later. On Monday, Biden promised he would deliver a ceasefire deal before he leaves office. He did not elaborate on how he plans to overcome the roadblocks that have stalled negotiations thus far. Progressives have for months been calling on Biden to halt weapons shipments to Gaza and put more pressure on Israel to end the war. Over 650,000 Democrats voted “uncommitted” in the primary to protest Biden’s policies, and the scale of the opposition to Biden in the Midwest appeared as though it could have tipped the election in Trump’s favor in swing states including Michigan and Wisconsin. Depending on how Harris positions herself, she could win back some of those voters. “I think there is excitement that [Biden] is not at the top of the ticket,” said Layla Elabed, a Palestinian American organizer in Michigan who helped lead the uncommitted movement, and the sister of Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). “But we are also right now watching and listening to what Harris is going to do next.” Overall, however, Democrats and Republicans remain largely supportive of Israel’s campaign. Since Israel’s establishment in 1948, the US has maintained a special relationship with the country. It has been the largest cumulative recipient of American foreign aid since its founding, totaling about $310 billion (adjusted for inflation) in total economic and military assistance. For these reasons, it’s unlikely that Harris will deviate substantially from Biden on Israel — and if there is any change in her policy, it would be only slight. The question will be whether any changes can win back voters that the president has alienated without losing the voters who embraced his stance. This leaves Harris with a difficult political tightrope to walk. But unlike Biden, she isn’t weighed down with the direct responsibility for all that has happened so far. Update, July 25, 3 pm ET: This story, originally published July 24, has been updated with developments after Netanyahu’s speech to Congress.