by: Griffin McVeigh 23 hours ago griffin_mcveigh
According to The Athletic ‘s Andrew Marchand, the $1 billion deal between ESPN and the NFL has been finalized. This will give the NFL a 10% equity stake in the World Wide Leader in Sports. Some broadcasts of regular season games will be shuffled as well, being a small part of a big-time move approved by government regulators.
“The NFL-ESPN billion dollar deal exchanging top media assets for a 10 percent equity stake was finalized late Saturday, The Athletic has learned,” Marchand said via X.
In his report, Marchand outlines exactly how many games ESPN will have on its airwaves in the coming years. The NFL Network is now also owned by ESPN, meaning there will be some crossover in talent coming up. One was announced during the fall, with Rich Eisen moving his radio show back to his original home.
There was intially feared of this deal getting blocked by President Donald Trump. However, things became official on Saturday, producing a historic moment in sports media history.
More on the ESPN-NFL deal
As part of the landmark deal, ESPN would now own and operate NFL Network and fully integrate into its direct-to-consumer app, which is due to launch this fall. Additionally, NFL.com fantasy football is set to merge with ESPN Fantasy. In addition to NFL RedZone , the NFL will also own and operate NFL Films , NFL+ and NFL.com, among other properties.