The National Football League’s deal with Walt Disney in which it will gain an equity stake in ESPN in return for prime media assets is expected to face scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Justice, according to legal experts and industry sources.

The agreement, announced late Tuesday, involves Disney’s ESPN acquiring the NFL Network and other media properties in exchange for the league receiving a 10 percent stake in the sports network. 3

Andre P. Barlow, a partner at Doyle, Barlow & Mazard, said the transaction “surely raises competition concerns,” because it could potentially give Disney greater control over televised sports carriage and reduce competition.

“The deal could potentially result in higher costs for consumers, as Disney’s dominance in sports media could limit optio

See Full Page