ESPN might pay up to $2 billion for NFL Network, RedZone, more
ESPN might pay up to $2 billion for NFL Network, RedZone, more
The on-again, off-again sale of NFL Media to ESPN is gathering momentum once again.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. The NFL and Disney are once again in talks about a potential deal that would see NFL Media fall under the control of ESPN. Sports insider Andrew Marchand discussed the revived talks in his “Marchand Sports Media” podcast this week and gave more details about the possible structure of the deal as discussions between the two parties continue.
Key Details:
- ESPN could pay as much as $2 billion for NFL Media.
- The league could also take an ownership stake in the channel in the transaction.
- Sale talks between the NFL and ESPN have happened before, only to seemingly fall apart.
A deal between ESPN and the NFL to place NFL Media under the four-letter network’s auspices could be valued at $2 billion, a hefty price tag to be sure. For that price, ESPN would acquire current NFL studio shows like “Good Morning Football,” control over NFL Network and NFL RedZone, the NFL Films archives, and more.
Marchand also says that the league might acquire an ownership stake in ESPN if the deal goes through. The idea of the NFL buying a piece of ESPN has been a part of past negotiations between the two sides; ESPN is currently 80% owned by Disney and 20% owned by Hearst Communications.
Indeed, the terms of the deal between the NFL and ESPN highly resemble an agreement that was reportedly all but closed in spring 2024. The league began cutting NFL Media staff and slashing expenses, a move that was interpreted by some as an attempt to make NFL Media a more streamlined property for acquisition.
However, talks seemingly stalled shortly thereafter, but word that they had begun anew leaked out in February. Marchand says that ESPN has extra incentive to get a deal done now, thanks to the impending launch of its new streaming service, which is being developed under the working title Flagship. Having NFL Media content available on the new streamer could be a game-changer for the service’s ability to pull in customers when it launches this fall.
“When we look back in 10, 15 years if this deal goes down, this could be a very significant point for ESPN’s growth when you’re adding it all up, and we’re really in a full streaming world,” Marchand said. “I think it’s pretty significant whether it happens in the next few months or not.”
As has happened before, talks could still come to naught between the two sides. But with ESPN’s extra motivation to add more content for Flagship, there’s a good chance the deal could finally be closed this time.
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