The same old team is ready to take to the screen for TNT’s “Inside The NBA.” But their setting may look a little different.
When Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and Ernie Johnson take to the set of the Warner Bros. Discovery network’s signature sports program, they will do so in a more open space that includes bigger screens, large vertical monitors and a broader overall design that reflects some of the demands of modern production. It’s the first time in nearly four or five years that the company’s sports division has refreshed the show’s look.
“The set has become the fifth character of this show,” says Craig Barry, executive vice president and chief content officer at Warner Bros. Discovery’s sports unit and needs to accommodate some of the hosts’ desire to get up and be more physical than the typical set of sports studio hosts.
“We believe that authenticity is a huge part of the show,” the executive explains. “The shows aren’t always perfect. Maybe someone comes in late or walks on set in mid-show./ Or maybe something happens on set and somebody gets up to play a prank. We want them to have that space, where they can showcase that very unique aspect of the show that is really kind of different.”
But there are other forces at play as well. To cultivate social-media reaction on the program, some of the positioning of its monitors and screens had to be tweaked. The vertical monitors will help the show utilize video contributions that might rely on content from TikTok or Instagram, and the bigger screens can help producers highlight tweets or other quips from fans and viewers.
“The main thrust there is that we want more social-media presence within the linear program,” says Barry. “You don’t have to be a celebrity to send in a tweet and have it show up on air.”
The new set will surface after Warner Bros. Discovery has taken steps to ensure the people who sit in it are sticking around. Earlier this week, the media company re-signed Johnson, Barkley andSmith to new multi-year deals to host “Inside The NBA,” just as anticipation is building for negotiations around the NBA’s next rights deals, which are slated to expire with Warner Bros. and Walt Disney’s ESPN after the 2024-2025 season. O’Neal struck a broader pact with the parent company in 2020.
“We really see the set as a catalyst to help differentiate the show,” says Barry.
