April 29 (Reuters) - Comcast's ( CMCSA ) NBCUniversal is

planning to pay an average of about $2.5 billion a year to

broadcast a package of National Basketball Association (NBA)

games, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people

familiar with the matter.

Warner Bros Discovery's ( WBD ) TNT has paid an average

fee of $1.2 billion under its current deal, but was unable to

reach a new pact with the NBA before an exclusive negotiating

window expired last week, according to the report.

Warner began airing the games in 1984, while Walt Disney's ( DIS )

ESPN ( DIS ) sports network began broadcasting the NBA in 2002.

Disney ( DIS ) is expected to pay an average per-year

fee of about $2.6 billion to renew its deal, WSJ reported,

citing sources, up from about $1.5 billion per year now.

NBCUniversal and its parent Comcast ( CMCSA ), Warner Bros Discovery ( WBD ),

and the NBA did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for

comment. Disney ( DIS )-owned ESPN ( DIS ) declined to comment.

(Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil

D'Silva)