Every time you think you can wrap your head around how big of a business the NFL is, another item pops that tells you it is far larger than one can imagine.
The New York Post reported Wednesday the league is in negotiations with its TV partners for 10-year deals that collectively would surpass $100 billion in rights money.
One-hundred billion dollars.
Sources said that the league and its current partners are working on frameworks for agreements that would keep the Sunday afternoon games on CBS and Fox, “Monday Night Football” on ESPN/ABC and “Sunday Night Football” on NBC. ESPN/ABC is expected to add Super Bowls when all is said and done.
The deals are not completed so the NFL could change course, but this is where it is trending, according to sources. The NFL is the highest-rated programming in television, which gives the league exceptional leverage and they are expected to receive substantial increases over their current contracts.
One big change would be ESPN/ABC getting involved in the Super Bowl rotation. Currently, CBS, NBC, and FOX take turns with the championship.
With ABC/ESPN added to the Super Bowl rotation in 10-year contracts, the NFL may just assign Super Bowls for eight seasons. In this scenario, ABC/ESPN, NBC, CBS and Fox would receive two Super Bowls each. The NFL could auction off the final two Super Bowls at a later date, if it goes with the 10-year term.