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TV Sports: Without Showing Games, ESPN Leaves a Mark on the N.B.A. Finals

The peculiar credit appears at the end of N.B.A. finals broadcasts on ABC. There is no reason for this single line to be shown publicly. The information it conveys is irrelevant to viewers and is an example of a major entertainment company speaking publicly to itself. But it tells you why N.B.A. games are carried by ABC, whose once-dominant sports division was buried long ago.

“The preceding was paid for by ESPN Inc.,” the credit reads after the announcer Mike Breen gives his end-of-game remarks.

The line suggests a bookkeeping arrangement between two networks within the Walt Disney Company — ESPN pays ABC for showing N.