ESPN and the NFL are teaming up, and it’s changing the sports media game.
This week, Disney and the NFL announced that ESPN will acquire the NFL Network and other NFL media assets, including the NFL’s linear RedZone channel and NFL Fantasy, in exchange for a 10% equity stake in the network—a stake which could be worth $2 billion or more . In addition, the NFL will license certain NFL content and other intellectual property to ESPN, and Disney CEO Bob Iger noted on a recent earnings call that the network will have 28 NFL games annually .
The deal comes ahead of ESPN’s direct-to-consumer streamer launch later this month, and according to Paul Verna, vp of content, eMarketer , “It’s a win-win for Disney and the NFL.”
Verna noted that the NFL can utilize Disney to boost visibility a