Last week, ESPN, Fox and Warner Brothers Discovery announced plans to create a joint streaming service much like a new-age cable package. The NFL did not receive the news enthusiastically.
John Aurand of Puck.news reports The NFL is “looking” for his contracts With ESPN and Fox to see if the two broadcast partners have the right under their NFL deals to include NFL games on the proposed product. The NFL, according to Ourand, was “shocked” by the move and was looking for “potential loopholes” that could prevent NFL games from the new platform.
Even if the NFL cannot find a legal position to block the move, the situation will likely weaken the relationship between the NFL and its two primary broadcast partners. The NFL has ways to make its displeasure with wayward TV networks known, including but not limited to giving them less-than-ideal game schedules.
Why is the league interested in the ESPN and Fox partnership? This merger could give the two companies more leverage in future negotiations, preventing the NFL from continuing its streak of making networks pay too much for NFL content. One of the tricks of the trade in the league is to always have one or two more potential suitors than the Packers.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank recently alluded to this dynamic in his comments to FrontOfficeSports.com's Daniel Kaplan regarding the mega-ship.
“There's a lot of competition for media rights in the NFL,” Blank told Kaplan. “If you get it down to that small number, you don't quite have a chance — but I don't think the league is worried about that at this point.”
Blank wisely stopped himself before saying after the word “opportunity” something like “to get them to keep making really bad business deals in order to keep carrying NFL games.”
Regardless, the league is not happy with this development. It will be interesting to see if the Lawyers find a footing to stand on, and if not, whether their 2024 schedules will be deemed less-than-great by ESPN and/or Fox.
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