As it turns out, media rights aren\u2019t the only the properties that ESPN acquired in its megadeal with the NFL.<\/p>\n
According to Front Office Sports\u2019 Ryan Glasspiegel<\/a>, ESPN will also be taking over the lease to NFL Network\u2019s 75,000-square-foot studios, which are located across the street from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. It is currently unknown how many years are remaining on the lease and how ESPN plans to use the facility.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, news of ESPN assuming the studio\u2019s lease is certainly notable, as it seemingly indicates that the Worldwide Leader in Sports plans on maintaining some sort of West Coast presence. Earlier this year, the network ended operations in its own Los Angeles studio<\/a>, which had been the home of NBA Countdown, NBA Today and the late-night SportsCenter for several years.<\/p>\n At a minimum, one would expect that ESPN taking over the lease means that NFL Network programming will remain based in Southern California. The Disney-owned cable channel acquired the NFL cable channel as a part of the wide-ranging equity deal that was announced late-Tuesday night<\/a>, although the agreement will still need to receive regulatory approval before being finalized.<\/p>\n In addition to the NFL Network, ESPN will also take ownership of NFL Fantasy and RedZone Channel, which it will distribute to pay TV operators. ESPN will also license three more NFL games per season that will air on NFL Network and shift four of its existing games to the league\u2019s cable channel.<\/p>\n