One of the more compelling subplots regarding pro football is the way we’ll watch pro football.
The current packages with CBS, Fox, NBC, Prime Video, and YouTube (for Sunday Ticket) are in place through 2029. The ESPN deal runs through 2030.
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During a Wednesday morning call with investors, Disney CFO Hugh Johnston said that ESPN and Disney “haven’t yet engaged” with the NFL on early renewal conversations regarding ESPN’s Monday Night Football package.
“We’re not dogmatic about the process,” Johnston said, via Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal. “We’re always willing to have a conversation with the NFL in an effort to find new opportunities for growth. We expect to be in business with the league for years to come, and will of course evaluate this deal as we would any deal — with discipline, and a focus on driving value for Disney shareholders.”
Now that the NFL owns 10 percent of ESPN, it’s hard to envision ESPN not having NFL games.
Still, it’s no surprise that the NFL and Disney/ESPN have yet to talk about a new deal. Beyond the fact that the ESPN deal already lasts a year longer (in order to complete the current four-network Super Bowl rotation), the widespread thinking is that the NFL has focused on CBS/Paramount for now, with the apparent plan to then move on to other current broadcast partners.
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The NFL had a clear opening to take CBS back to the table after Paramount was sold to Skydance, thanks to the “change in control” provision in the deal between the NFL and CBS. Some have suggested that the NFL hopes to increase the current $2.1 billion annual fee paid by CBS to $3 billion, starting immediately.
Via Daniel Kaplan, a recent Paramount earnings call included no questions about the status of the negotiations with the NFL. So it remains unknown when, or if, CBS and the NFL will get a deal done. But that seems to be the starting point.
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