Warner Executive Walks Back Comments About Barkley’s New Contract
The longtime NBA analyst was pursued by LIV Golf this summer.
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WarnerBrothers Discovery chief content officer Kathleen Finch hinted at a new contract for Charles Barkley earlier this week in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
While a new contract is still being discussed, Finch has since walked back the comments given in the interview.
Finch mentioned a new contract for Barkley in her interview and hinted that there could be additional opportunities for Barkley outside of his Inside The NBA coverage on TNT, where he has been a mainstay since joining Turner in 2000.
“I’m excited to find other ways to put him on television talking about something other than basketball, because he has a lot to say. He’s just a regular guy interested in a lot of things…,” Finch said after mentioning a new contract for Barkley.
Finch issued an updated statement to The Hollywood Reporter in which she walked her comments back for prematurely sharing the news regarding the contract.
“I recently attended a great lunch with members of the WarnerBrothers Discovery leadership team and Charles,” Finch began.
“It was an amazing conversation centered on the importance of premium sports content to our networks and broader company and we all left the meeting feeling inspired. I jumped the gun in The Hollywood Reporter story and was premature with what was shared regarding his new contract. I committed a flagrant 2 foul with this one, but we’re all excited for the future possibilities with Charles as part of WarnerBros. Discovery.”
The contract talks with Barkley come after he was heavily pursued by LIV Golf this summer to become a commentator for their tournaments. Barkley ultimately elected to remain with TNT and WarnerMedia, and it appears the network is poised to reward his loyalty with a potential contract extension.
“My number one priority is to be fair to Turner and my sponsors, to be honest with you,” Barkley told The New York Post earlier this year.
“I couldn’t just keep them holding on so I made up my mind … I was like, ‘Make a decision and live with it,’” Barkley said of his decision to stay with Turner.
Barkley’s current contract is paying him in the neighborhood of $10 million for his basketball coverage on Inside the NBA on TNT.
Barkley has been with Turner as a basketball analyst since 2000, and although it’s not finalized, it doesn’t sound like he’ll be going anywhere anytime soon.
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