In a recent interview, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suggested that the league “could seek to begin renegotiating its broadcasting deals as soon as next year,” per Mark Maske of The Washington Post. 
The original deals to be renegotiated were reached back in 2021. Though the detailed financial details of the deals were not released, it was estimated that the value of the deals potentially exceeded $110BB. The deals preserved several existing deals with CBS and FOX covering Sunday afternoon games, NBC covering Sunday Night Football, and ESPN/ABC covering Monday Night Football.
The deals also established the first all-digital package with Amazon housing Thursday Night Football. More deals would see NFL Sunday Ticket move from DirecTV to YouTube TV, and some individual games aired exclusively on Netflix and YouTube.
But, as Maske explains, “the NFL’s broadcasting deals contain opt-out clauses,” and many expect the league will exercise those options for an opportunity to rework the deals “before the end of the decade.” In his interview, Goodell said, “I think our partners would want to sit down and talk to us at any time, and we continue to dialogue with them. I like that opportunity. Obviously, it’s not going to happen this year, but it could happen as early as next year. That could happen.”
While it’s natural for an entity as big as the NFL to reexamine these types of deals to tweak as needed, it’s also worth examining recent events to see why these renegotiations may be necessary. Not long ago, the NFL received a 10-percent ownership stake in ESPN in exchange for brand and TV distribution rights for the NFL RedZone Channel and NFL Network, among other properties and assets.
We noted at the time that such a deal may have an impact on the NFL’s decision-making once the current broadcasting rights expire. When the NFL is trying to decide which networks will be receiving which games, how many games will be going to the network the league has a 10-percent stake in? What will other networks have to concede in order to ensure some semblance of competition?
The NFL’s desire to renegotiate its deals could have nothing to do with its recent acquisition. Regardless, it has become one of the new aims of Goodell for the next year or so, along with his crusade for an 18-game season.
Which comes first, the 18-game season or the 18 platforms required to watch a season? It’s too close to call.
Money grubbing ahole