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 ...
Give them to spread out the games over even more of their pay channels. Pisses me off.
I’ll stick with Red Zone Cuba, a Coleman Francis movie.
The NFL now has a stake in ESPN.
ESPN owns and operates a gambling concern called ESPN BET.
A professional sports league in a partnership with bookies?
That STINKS.
Attempting to give a ....
Unable. .... not given.
DISNEY.............................
“Take a knee” NFL.
No they won’t. There’s no way they’d make anywhere near the money they’re making on the TV deals ($10 billion this year). And this shows it. This move says the NFL isn’t making as much money as they want on their self owned TV offerings, and they don’t think it’ll translate to the streaming enough to make it worth their while to spin up their own streaming. ESPN on the other hand has the infrastructure in place, can run the NFL Network for cheaper than the NFL can, and spread the programming around. And of course with ESPN+ they’ve already got the streaming thing set.
But what happens with Colleen Wolfe?
Even less way. The Super Bowl, with its Super Bowl-esque ratings, is the crown jewel that drives up the prices of the TV contracts (that $8 million for 30 seconds of ad time balances a lot of books for the networks). If they put the SB on PPV it would devalue the contracts by a ton more than they’d make on the PPV. And viewership would go in the toilet. Heck even a football addict like wouldn’t pay for the SB unless my Steelers were in it.
This is problematic. I thought ESPN was the SEC network. Or am I confusing networks?
Too many egos chasing the same money tree. Not that it matters. Disney owns ESPN, so I suppose the SEC and NFL can save on the Pride Month stuff. Synergies, you know.
Subscribe to the groomer network to watch the SEC and NFL? How’s that for a business plan?
I love Red Zone. Especially for the afternoon slot that only has a few games. Thanks to lack of commercials if the 1PM (MST, where I live) has 3 games, you see 90% of the most competitive game, about 75% of the next, and just a bit of the least. Way better than being on the regular broadcast, which always seems to be the worst of the 3 games, and commercials. The early slot is a bit crazy, you can’t really keep track of 8 or more games, but it’s fun for its crazy.
NFL is totally woke bringing in Disney/ESPN.
Got to keep those eyes on the screen until the end of the game. Blowouts don't bring in the big bucks.
Think of it as a scripted reality show. Sort of like Pro Wrestling has always been.
If you believe that fine, but that is impossible for me to believe, the thing that keeps the games closes is the talent level is really close between teams and how the rules favor the offense and the clock rules at the end of the game.
Nearly every single player in the NFL was a star player in college football, the worst team in the NFL would dominate any college team including championship caliber teams
The title of this post be any more confusing?
One good thing ESPN did - fire Jemelle Hill.
Well, this will work out just fine. /s/
We watch way more college ball than pro.
So. Not on YouTube TV anymore?? When?
I’m sick of having to change my tv service just to get Sunday Ticket.
Still on YouTube this effects the Non-Sunday Ticket Red Zone. Sunday Ticket has its own, different host and everything.
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