Tag: NFL TV rights

Disney, NFL close in on deal to put ABC back in Super Bowl rotation

How will the new NFL TV contract result in ABC network being back in the Super Bowl rotation?

A massive domino is closing in the NFL TV rights battle and the winners are Disney/ABC/ESPN, per John Ourand of Sports Business Journal.

ABC has been out of the Super Bowl rotation since 2006 but will be no more.

Per Sports Business Journal:

Disney and the NFL have reached a broad agreement on a new media rights deal that will see ESPN renew “MNF” and ABC return to the Super Bowl rotation for the first time since ‘06, according to sources. Contracts still have not been signed, but the two sides have smoothed over enough differences that a deal is very close at hand.

Sources said Disney is expected to pay an increase of up to 30% from its current deal, which based on an average of $2B per year would equate to around $2.6B. An agreement comes after news leaked last week of a stalemate between the two sides, which initially were so far apart in price that some ESPNers questioned whether to cut a deal.

The remaining pieces of the TV puzzle are falling in the same places they have been with CBS holding the key AFC rights, FOX retaining its NFC stronghold, and NBC keeping “Sunday Night Football.”

The lone question mark — and it is a big one — is where will “Thursday Night Football” wind up? FOX currently has the first game of the new week but there has been wide speculation it could wind up with Amazon or another  outlet in addition to NFL Network.

The announcement could come as soon as next week, SBJ reported, according to media execs.

 

Report: NFL in talks for more than $100B in TV deals

The NFL could reel in more than $100 billion in its upcoming TV dea;s

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.

Per the report:

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.

 

Report: ABC making major play for first live NFL game package in 15 years

A report says ABC Is looking to become a major player for NFL TV rights.

The high-stakes game of what networks will wind up with what NFL packages is in full force. And Friday came word that ABC — the former home of “Monday Night Football” — could become a player to land a live package for the first time in 15 years.

ABC had “Monday Night Football” for decades before it was moved to ESPN by the honchos. There is the potential ABC and ESPN would land packages,

Per FrontOfficeSports:

… sources on both sides of the negotiating table say Disney is making a strong push to bring ABC back to the NFL TV lineup. If ESPN retains MNF, the games could also be simulcast or megacast on ABC. “Both Disney and the NFL want it to happen,” said a source.

As an added bonus, Disney’s ABC/ESPN could also break into the lucrative Super Bowl rotation currently split between CBS, NBC and Fox. Under its current deal, Disney only gets rights to one wild-card playoff telecast on ESPN and the Pro Bowl, which are now shown on both ABC and ESPN.

ESPN pays $1.9 billion annually and its MNF contract is up first after the 2021 season. The league’s deals with NBC ($950 million annually for “Sunday Night Football”), CBS ($1 billion for the Sunday afternoon AFC package) and FOX ($1.1 billion for the Sunday afternoon NFC package and another $650 million for “Thursday Night Football”) expire after the 2022 season.