NFL Network and NFL RedZone could soon be under ESPN’s control, if talks don’t fall apart again.
The NFL’s attempts to find a new home for its cable channels NFL Network and NFL RedZone have been accompanied by nearly as much drama as a high-pressure playoff game. Each time it looks like the league is ready to pull the trigger on a sale of the channels, a problem arises and talks are called off. But John Ourand of Puck News now reports that ESPN has reentered the chat and that the company’s new streaming service Flagship could be spurring momentum to finally get a deal done this time around.
Key Details:
- ESPN and the NFL have discussed a deal in which NFL Network and RedZone, as well as the league’s fantasy platform, would fall under ESPN control.
- The NFL has had sale talks regarding its cable networks on the back burner since September.
- Formerly, talks included the NFL buying an equity stake in ESPN.
According to Ourand, ESPN and the NFL are discussing a deal that would see NFL Network and RedZone fall under ESPN’s auspices. The four-letter network would also get control of the league’s fantasy football offering, which would be folded into the new Flagship streaming service that ESPN plans to launch this fall. The worldwide leader in sports is looking to bring even more exclusive content to its forthcoming streamer has been a major reason why the two sides have resumed talks after things fell apart last year.
The deal would give ESPN even more negotiating power with cable distributors than it already has, and it would allow the NFL to offload assets that have been a drag on its balance sheet thanks to cord-cutting. No deal is done yet, however, and talks could still go nowhere in the end, which has happened before.
At the beginning of 2024, ESPN and the NFL were reportedly in talks about a deal for the league to purchase an equity stake in the channel, and in exchange, ESPN would assume control of the NFL cable channels. The league also started the year by implementing cost-cutting measures for its channels, including moving production of “Good Morning Football” from New York to Los Angeles.
By May, reports were circulating that a deal between the NFL and ESPN was all but signed, however, the two sides never got things across the goal line. Ourand says that the league put all talks on the back burner in September when the regular season began.
Having the content from NFL Network and NFL RedZone on Flagship would make for a highly desirable product for football fans, and could give ESPN room to raise the starting price of the service past the $25 to $30 per month that most analysts predict it will cost. The streamer is already expected to have a wide range of features, including integrated betting options, multiview, and more.
ESPN has consistently emerged as the most likely buyer of NFL Network and NFL RedZone, but a deal has been difficult to consummate. Only time will tell if the drive to launch Flagship with as much content as possible will spur ESPN to greater efforts to acquire the channels this time.
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