Report: ESPN in talks to give NFL equity stake, taking control of NFL Media

ESPN and the NFL could be nearing a historic partnership, according to the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand. The league is in talks regarding a potential equity stake in the network, which would involve control of NFL Media — including NFL Network and NFL RedZone.

The two sides are in “advanced talks,” and by taking control of NFL Media, ESPN would also control NFL Network. Because an equity stake is part of the conversation, the players and owners need to get involved, and Marchand reported negotiations have reached that point. A deal might not come to fruition soon, though, and could take “months” to finalize.

If ESPN takes control of NFL Media, it would also involve NFL RedZone, NFL Films and NFL+, according to Marchand. It would also allow for better carriage arrangements for NFL Network.

The NFL has been shopping the network for “years,” according to Marchand, but couldn’t find a buyer. The league asked around while negotiating upward of $110 billion in deals with ESPN, NBC, FOX, CBS, Amazon Prime and YouTube.

A deal with the NFL and NFL Media could be a next step in ESPN’s plans to go direct to consumer. According to Marchand, the goal for that launch is in 2025, which is why it would make sense to add more features. ESPN, of course, also offers ESPN+ as a separate service which includes specialty content and one exclusive NFL game during the season.

In May 2023, ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro spoke about the idea of going direct to consumer and why ESPN could. look to make a move in the next couple years.

“We’re going to get to a point where we take our entire network, our flagship programming, and make it available direct to consumer,” Pitaro said, via Bloomberg. “That’s a ‘when,’ not an ‘if’….We’re only going to do it when it makes sense for our business and for our bottom line.”

ESPN is working on a few different ventures, including a new contract with the College Football Playoff. The network has held the exclusive rights to the CFP since its inception, and ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Heather Dinich reported a potential eight-year extension could be in the works.

According to the report, ESPN is discussing paying $1.3 billion for the rights to the College Football Playoff starting in 2026. It would also include the final two years of the current agreement, which would make it an eight-year partnership.