Quicker than most anticipated, ESPN and the NFL have secured regulatory approval for the billion-dollar acquisition that will give ESPN full control of top NFL Media assets, including NFL Network and the linear distribution rights to NFL RedZone. In exchange, the NFL will gain a 10% equity stake in ESPN.
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand first reported the deal had been approved late Saturday night.
Per the report, the transition of NFL Media employees to ESPN will begin in April and NFL Network will be fully integrated into the ESPN ecosystem by the beginning of next season. That means ESPN subscribers will gain access to NFL Network as part of ESPN’s direct-to-consumer service at no additional cost.
The deal will see ESPN-owned networks broadcast 28 games per season, up from 25 under the terms of the old arrangement. 21 games will air on the ESPN family of networks and seven will air on NFL Network. As part of the agreement, ESPN’s Monday Night Football doubleheaders will go away, and the NFL will take control of four excess games, likely to sell to a streamer.
“The NFL and ESPN are pleased to announce the official closing of the sale of NFL Network and other NFL Media assets to ESPN,” the NFL and ESPN said in a joint statement to The Athletic. “With the closing, we will begin integrating NFL employees into ESPN in the months ahead. As we look to the future, NFL fans can look forward to expanded NFL programming, greater access to NFL Network, innovative Fantasy experiences and unparalleled coverage of America’s most popular sport.”
The timeline of the deal’s approval is surprising. While it had previously been reported that both sides were pushing to approve the deal sooner rather than later so the NFL could account for the new arrangement as it makes the 2026-27 schedule, most anticipated the deal would take between one and two years to receive regulatory approval.
With the deal rubber-stamped, ESPN will gain control of key NFL Media assets prior to its first-ever Super Bowl broadcast in February 2027.
Under the new agreement, the NFL will continue to operate the NFL+ streaming service, NFL.com, and select other assets. The league will still produce its popular RedZone broadcast in-house, though ESPN will own the linear distribution rights.