Steve Ballmer, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, has reportedly rejected the latest offer for the next cycle of the North American NBA basketball franchise’s local rights and is considering launching an over-the-top streaming network to show coverage.
The New York Post newspaper said Ballmer, the former chief executive of software company Microsoft, had turned down an offer of $60m (€53m) per year from incumbent rights-holder Prime Ticket.
Prime Ticket, operated by the Fox network, has the rights until the end of the 2015-16 season in a deal worth $25m per year.
However, the report said the negotiating window for the next cycle expired in June, and Ballmer is looking at launching a new platform to cover Clippers games locally.
The report added that Ballmer’s apparent stance over the regional rights could be a negotiating tactic ahead of the next cycle.