The National Football League and Disney officially closed their deal to merge ESPN and NFL Media late Saturday, following final approval by the United States government. Now that the transaction is finalized, new details have emerged regarding the ramifications for fantasy football, NFL RedZone, and other previously league-owned services.
Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported on Saturday night that government regulators had approved the billion-dollar deal between the NFL and Disney. Both parties officially closed on the deal in the final hours of January, which will create a domino effect that impacts both NFL Media and ESPN moving forward.
“The NFL and ESPN are pleased to announce the official closing of the sale of NFL Network and other NFL Media assets to ESPN. With the closing, we will begin integrating NFL employees into ESPN in the months ahead. As we look to the future, NFL fans can look forward to expanded NFL programming, greater access to NFL Network, innovative fantasy experiences and unparalleled coverage of America’s most popular sport.”
ESPN and NFL’s statement on merger being approved (via The Athletic)
Moving forward, the NFL now owns a 10 percent stake in ESPN, while ESPN will take over control of NFL Network programming. Additionally, the NFL.com fantasy football service will be integrated into the current setup used for ESPN Fantasy Football.
This deal will also have several ramifications that impact the viewing experience for football fans. Under the new agreement, ESPN will now televise 28 NFL games per season. However, there will be no more Monday Night Football doubleheaders for ESPN and ABC; the broadcasting rights for those four doubleheader games will move to NFL Network, which is now owned and operated by ESPN.
Importantly, ESPN will also be distributing NFL RedZone to its satellite and cable operators. However, per a press release by the network, the NFL will “continue to own, operate and produce” the RedZone channel and the league retains the digital distribution rights to NFL RedZone.
NFL Network will continue to air seven games per season, while the league has “taken back the rights” to four international games that it will put up for bid. All of this will go into effect ahead of the 2026 NFL season, kicking off in September.
Moving forward, ABC Inc. owns a 72 percent stake in ESPN, with 18 percent owned by Hearst and 10 percent owned by the NFL. The billion-dollar deal is widely expected to save team owners millions of dollars in operating costs while bringing in new revenue sources by selling the rights to the four acquired international games and cutting spending for NFL Media.
