The NFL reportedly now receives $1.9 billion annually from ESPN for a package that includes “Monday Night Football” and the right to use extensive highlights in other programs. Sports Business Journal reported that the new deal with ESPN parent Walt Disney Co. would be worth $2.6 billion.
As was the case last season, some “MNF” games are expected to be simulcast on ESPN sister over-the-air network ABC, to increase audience size in a world in which the number of cable subscribers is decreasing dramatically. Another significant aspect of the reported deal is ABC’s return to the Super Bowl rotation.
Thursday focus
ESPN’s current contract expires after the coming season and the league’s deals with the other networks run a year longer. So as it stands now, “Thursday Night Football” remains on Fox for two more seasons — but it’s possible that could be negotiated downward.
A move on Thursdays to streaming-only would be a monumental shift for a league known for seeking the largest possible audiences, underscored by the fact that it requires ESPN to simulcast Monday night games on a “free TV” station in the markets of the teams that are competing, as well as stipulating that ESPN places playoff games it shows on ABC nationwide.
On Thursday night, matchups now on Fox are simulcast on cable’s NFL Network, with a few exclusively on NFLN. Amazon has held streaming rights to those games since 2017, but that merely has been a supplement to them being on TV.