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ESPN to get NFL Network, rights to RedZone from NFL for equity stake
espn.com ^ | Aug 5, 2025

Posted on 08/06/2025 10:18:29 AM PDT by V_TWIN

ESPN is acquiring the NFL Network and other National Football League media assets, including the linear rights to the league's popular RedZone channel, in a deal that will see the NFL get a 10% equity stake in the all-sports network, it was announced Tuesday night.

ESPN will also acquire the NFL's fantasy product and merge it into its existing platform, making ESPN Fantasy Football the official game of the NFL. In a separate deal, the NFL also agreed to license to ESPN other NFL content and intellectual property that will appear on the NFL Network and other assets.

The NFL Network will be owned and operated by ESPN, which will control the network's linear and digital rights. The NFL Network will be integrated into ESPN's upcoming direct-to-consumer streaming product, and it will continue to be available on traditional pay TV providers.

"By combining these NFL media assets with ESPN's reach and innovation, we're creating a premier destination for football fans," ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. "Together, ESPN and the NFL are redefining how fans engage with the game -- anytime, anywhere. This deal helps fuel ESPN's digital future, laying the foundation for an even more robust offering as we prepare to launch our new direct-to-consumer service."

(Excerpt) Read more at espn.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: espn; media; nfl; redzone; richeisen; sports
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I am certainly NO fan of espn and especially not the nfl. - I posted this as further confirmation of my prediction that sometime in the future ALL NFL games will be pay per view only. - It's gonna happen.
1 posted on 08/06/2025 10:18:29 AM PDT by V_TWIN
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To: V_TWIN

ESPN ruins everything.


2 posted on 08/06/2025 10:19:37 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: V_TWIN

Insane as the NFL enjoyed the NFL Network as they were able to control it and the broadcasting. No more


3 posted on 08/06/2025 10:20:20 AM PDT by God luvs America
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To: V_TWIN

I’ve gotten to the point where I watch the Red Zone channel more than any other channel for NFL football, during the season, a lot of games come down to the last few minutes of the game, on the Red Zone you don’t miss a play because they will show multiple games at one time on a split screen.

If you wager on the NFL or play fantasy football the Red Zone channel is the way to go.


4 posted on 08/06/2025 10:20:48 AM PDT by srmanuel
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To: srmanuel

I just watch the YouTube highlights.


5 posted on 08/06/2025 10:21:26 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: V_TWIN

Interesting. Any chance this has to do with Disney difficulties?


6 posted on 08/06/2025 10:24:04 AM PDT by xp38
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To: V_TWIN

I predicted PPV for the Super Bowl but not regular season games, but you’re probably correct.


7 posted on 08/06/2025 10:26:28 AM PDT by JZelle
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To: dfwgator

Yeah, they’ve just about ruined the UFC.....Why Dana White got into bed with them is beyond me......I guess it’s all about the almighty dollar. Smh


8 posted on 08/06/2025 10:26:42 AM PDT by V_TWIN (America...so great even the people that hate it refuse to leave!)
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To: V_TWIN

“Always the dollars....always the f______ dollars.”


9 posted on 08/06/2025 10:27:21 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: dfwgator

ESPN is filled with nasty, black-supremacy racists throughout the network.


10 posted on 08/06/2025 10:28:54 AM PDT by newfreep ("There is no race problem...just a problem race")
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To: V_TWIN

And when it does, demand and the fans will go down also.


11 posted on 08/06/2025 10:30:31 AM PDT by packrat35 (Pureblood! No clot shot for me!)
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To: JZelle

It’ll be a slow transformation.

Think frog in a pot of water metaphor.

Maybe superbowl first.....then later playoff games and finally regular season.

Or it could be the other way round......pre season first.


12 posted on 08/06/2025 10:30:39 AM PDT by V_TWIN (America...so great even the people that hate it refuse to leave!)
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To: V_TWIN

$1.6 billion dollars.


13 posted on 08/06/2025 10:31:28 AM PDT by packrat35 (Pureblood! No clot shot for me!)
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To: V_TWIN

“ALL NFL games will be pay per view only. - It’s gonna happen.”

and that’s when the Golden Goose will die ... there are just so many other competing forms of entertainment, and folks have limited time and money for entertainment ... not to mention that NFL football has become even more boring than pro basketball, pro golf, pro baseball, and pro hockey ...


14 posted on 08/06/2025 10:32:33 AM PDT by catnipman ((A Vote For The Lesser Of Two Evils Still Counts As A Vote For Evil))
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To: V_TWIN

A Cautionary Tale is what the MLS did when they moved all their games to Apple TV. What a stupid move. You need as much exposure as you can get, and you basically price everybody out.


15 posted on 08/06/2025 10:33:08 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: dfwgator

I play Fantasy Football on Draftkings, so I’m rooting for individual players not any particular team, although I pay more attention to the Jaguars.


16 posted on 08/06/2025 10:33:55 AM PDT by srmanuel
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To: V_TWIN

**ALL NFL games will be pay per view only. - It’s gonna happen.**
I don’t think so. The NFL has been at the public trough for too long. People will not put up with it. Think Trump would allow it? What about the anti-trust rule that allows no competition?

**If you wager on the NFL or play fantasy football the Red Zone channel is the way to go.**
That’s like a baseball game with 9 designated hitters. It’s the ebb and flow that turns fans on.


17 posted on 08/06/2025 10:35:21 AM PDT by DIRTYSECRET
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To: dfwgator

Tour De France as well....NBC has a stranglehold on it and pretty much every stage was on peacock.


18 posted on 08/06/2025 10:35:32 AM PDT by V_TWIN (America...so great even the people that hate it refuse to leave!)
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To: V_TWIN

When will ESPN not only own The NFL network, but the NFL itself?


19 posted on 08/06/2025 10:35:42 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: V_TWIN
Food for thought. College football last had a total of 154 billion minutes viewed. Evidently there's still a lot of people wanting to watch a less woke version of football than the NFL. I couldn't find how that compares to total minutes of NFL football.
20 posted on 08/06/2025 10:37:43 AM PDT by Tell It Right (1 Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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