The National Football League is selling most of its media properties to Walt Disney Company’s ESPN in a deal that will give the league a 10% stake in the sports broadcasting powerhouse, the companies announced Tuesday.
The agreement, expected to close next year, will bring the NFL Network and the popular highlights channel RedZone under ESPN’s control, while also granting Disney the right to air more league games.
The deal comes as ESPN prepares to roll out a new streaming platform, simply called ESPN, which will cost $30 a month. Subscribers will gain access to all of the company’s traditional television channels.
Disney also plans to offer the service as part of a $36 monthly bundle with Hulu and Disney+, with a promotional rate of $30 for the first year. Customers who already subscribe to ESPN through cable or satellite providers will be able to use the streaming version at no extra charge.
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Disney currently owns 80% of ESPN, while Hearst Communications holds the remaining 20 percent. The addition of NFL Network and RedZone marks one of the company’s most significant expansions in live sports content in recent years.
By aligning even more closely with the NFL, Disney is tightening its grip on the most valuable sports property in the United States, one that continues to command the largest audiences on television.
The deal is part of a broader shift in the relationship between professional sports leagues and their broadcast partners.
In June, ESPN purchased a stake in a professional lacrosse league as part of a media-rights agreement. Last week, Fox Corporation acquired a one-third stake in Penske Entertainment, owner of the IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Such moves reflect a growing trend: sports leagues are increasingly blending ownership with distribution as they adapt to the changing dynamics of media consumption.
What to know
For the NFL, the partnership ensures wider distribution of its content at a time when traditional cable television is losing ground to streaming platforms. NFL games remain the nation’s most-watched programming, averaging more than 17 million viewers last season, a slight 2.2 % dip from the year before.
Football accounted for the vast majority of the 50 most-watched prime-time broadcasts in 2024, showing the league’s continued dominance in live television.
Disney is set to report its fiscal third-quarter earnings on Wednesday, and analysts are expected to pay close attention to how the company integrates its expanded sports portfolio.
The new ESPN streaming service, bundled with Disney’s other platforms, signals the company’s determination to capture cord-cutters while maintaining its stronghold in live sports broadcasting a bet that the NFL remains the crown jewel of American television.
