As NFL Network Cuts Staff, Moves ‘Good Morning Football’ to LA, Is the NFL Preparing to Invest in ESPN?
Veteran names like Palmer, Selva, Siciliano and Stark are out at NFL Media, which could soon fall under ESPN’s purview.
NFL players who get cut often cite the fact that the league is a business, first and foremost. This week, some high-profile NFL Network personalities found the same hard truth staring them in the face, as the league decided it was time to move on from Andrew Siciliano, Melissa Stark, James Palmer, and Will Selva. Normally these personnel cuts wouldn’t attract much more than well-wishes for the departing talent, but in this case, there is room to speculate that the moves are designed to help the NFL streamline its media operations in preparation for a big deal with Disney and ESPN.
- The NFL could be attempting to cut costs to make its media segment more attractive to ESPN.
- Disney has been in talks with the league regarding purchasing a minority stake in ESPN, in exchange for operating control over NFL Media.
- ESPN saw its own round of on-air talent cuts last year, demonstrating it may be operating at or near capacity.
Melissa Stark will still serve as sideline reporter for “Sunday Night Football” games on NBC and Peacock, but she’ll no longer help cover big events for NFL Network. Siciliano was a mainstay on the network and was also a big part of the NFL RedZone channel each Sunday on DIRECTV. Now, he’ll take his talents to the 2024 Summer Olympics, where he and Scott Hansen will host a similar whip-around show entitled “Gold Zone.” Palmer was a national reporter for the league, and Selva provided news updates on “Good Morning Football,” which is preparing to move operations from New York to Los Angeles.
All of these moves come as NFL Chief Media and Business Officer Brian Rolapp told Sports Business Journal recently that NFL Media is “operating from a good position of strength.” That could just be an attempt from an executive to deflect scrutiny, but it could also indicate that the league believes that NFL Media is strong, and just needs a little sprucing up before making an industry re-defining move.
Is NFL Network About to Come Under ESPN Control?
It’s been more than two months since reports first surfaced that the NFL had been negotiating with ESPN about purchasing a minority equity stake in the network. As part of the deal, ESPN would get control of NFL Media and all of its shows and on-air talent.
The latest personnel moves by the league could be interpreted as a sign that a deal between it and ESPN is close at hand. When talk of the NFL’s potential investment first started, some reports characterized the discussions as “advanced talks,” and given the length of time between initial reports and these staff cuts at NFL Media, the contract buy-outs, and shifting coasts for “GMFB” production could be one of the final housekeeping measures before a deal is announced.
In late March, it was reported that the NFL and ESPN were still negotiating, and that the league was the channel’s top potential partner. ESPN is looking for one or two strategic partners and has reached out to tech companies like Amazon and Google in addition to nearly all of the major sports leagues.
Disney is gearing up to launch two streaming products featuring ESPN in the next two years. The company is aiming for a fall launch of its joint venture sports streaming platform with Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery, a service that will include livestreams of the ESPN family of channels. In the fall of 2025, Disney will also roll out a standalone ESPN streaming service that will be available as a Disney+ add-on, and possibly as its own platform. With such ambitious streaming moves in the offing, it’s logical that Disney is seeking minority investors to not only help pay for the services, but also to ensure that they have plenty of content to make them worth consumer investment.
Keep your ears to the ground, NFL fans. The next few weeks could see the announcement of a deal between the league and ESPN that sees a minority stake in the channel sold to the NFL in exchange for control over NFL Media. Unfortunately for the personalities who recently departed from NFL Network, they will have to observe the results of such a move from afar.
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