Disney's ESPN To Acquire NFL Media Assets In Major Deal
HuffPost
The deal, which ESPN said would bolster the offerings on its upcoming ESPN streaming service, is subject to regulatory approval.
LOS ANGELES, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Walt Disney’s ESPN has reached a landmark deal with the National Football League to acquire NFL Network and other media assets from the league in exchange for the NFL taking a 10% equity stake in the sports network, the parties said on Tuesday. The deal, which ESPN said would bolster the offerings on its upcoming ESPN streaming service, is subject to regulatory approval. Financial terms were not disclosed.
ESPN also will acquire NFL Fantasy, a digital offering, and will gain the rights to distribute the NFL RedZone television channel to its cable and satellite television customers.
“Today’s announcement paves the way for the world’s leading sports media brand and America’s most popular sport to deliver an even more compelling experience for NFL fans, in a way that only ESPN and Disney can,” Disney CEO Robert Iger said in a statement. The Athletic, which first reported last week that a deal was imminent, said it could potentially be worth billions of dollars, according to sources. ESPN declined to comment on the reported figure.
The ESPN streaming service, which Iger has said could launch as early as this month, will cost $29.99 per month.
It will provide access to ESPN’s portfolio of professional and college sports, including the NFL, the NBA and WNBA, MLB and the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship, as well as studio shows such as “SportsCenter” and “Pardon the Interruption.”
