In deals collectively worth tens of billions, the NFL has reached 10-year rights extensions with existing TV partners and also taken the league into uncharted digital waters.
Fox, NBC, CBS and ESPN will remain homes for games, but ABC is re-entering the mix and Amazon Prime Video will stream Thursday night games. The details had been tipped for weeks, so the official confirmation brought no major surprises and underscored the league’s value.
The new agreements will begin with the 2023 season and run through the 2033 season. The league did not comment on valuation but a person familiar with the terms told Deadline the haul exceeds $10 billion per year over the life of the contracts. That has been the eye-opening figure percolating in recent press reports.
Asked during a media conference call to confirm a total tally of $105 billion, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell declined.
Amazon Prime Video gains exclusive rights to Thursday Night Football , which has aired on CBS, NBC and currently Fox in recent years. The streaming outlet first came in as a partner in 2017 and in the recent postseason got its first exclusive playoff game.
Even though NFL ratings dipped 7% in 2020 and even the Super Bowl in February posted a notable decline, the majority of the top 100 Nielsen-rated shows in a given year are NFL games. The viewership erosion during Covid-19 was far less for the NFL than for other major sports and it also pulled in strong viewers for the NFL Draft on ESPN, attesting to its year-round appeal.
“These new media deals will provide our fans even greater access to the games they love. We’re proud to grow our partnerships with the most innovative media companies in the market,” Goodell said in the official announcement. “Along with our recently completed labor agreement with the NFLPA, these distribution agreements bring an unprecedented era of stability to the League and will permit us to continue to grow and improve our game.”
While the traditional broadcast element remains in place, streaming is a major strategic emphasis for both the league and its partners. The NBCUniversal agreement will see Peacock stream several exclusive games over the course of the deal. Disney’s deal lets it simulcast games across ABC, ESPN and ESPN+. The streaming service will also get one exclusive overseas game per season. Unlike the other agreements, ESPN’s is for 11 years, including a “bridge year” extension covering 2022. Paramount+, similarly, will stream live games along with CBS telecasts. Fox’s ad-supported service Tubi will not carry live games but will add NFL programming.
The Super Bowl rotation will see CBS air the big game in 2023, 2027 and 2031. Fox will get it in 2024, 2028 and 2032. NBC will have it in 2025, 2029 and 2033. ESPN and ABC will simulcast it in 2026 and 2030 in a first for ESPN and a return for ABC for the first time in decades.
The league-owned NFL Network, meanwhile, will televise a select schedule of exclusive NFL games on a yearly basis.
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