National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football association based in New York City. The NFL comprises 32 clubs divided among two conferences, which itself is split among eight divisions.
Telecast rights to NFL games are held by the Walt Disney Company (ESPN, ABC), Comcast Corporation (NBC), Paramount Global (CBS), Fox Corporation and Amazon’s Prime Video. National radio broadcasts are offered by Cumulus Radio’s Westwood One.
The NFL also distributes games through its own standalone streaming app called NFL Plus, with out-of-market games aired on CBS and Fox affiliates available through YouTube’s NFL Sunday Ticket package.
Fox fiscal Q4 revenue juiced by World Cup interest, Tubi viewership
Separately, Fox executives said they will not be renegotiating their existing broadcast rights deal with the National Football League anytime soon.
EARNINGS REPORT
Disney’s ABC, ESPN sell out advertising inventory for Super Bowl LXI
The sell-through was achieved earlier than some of Disney's peer broadcasters in prior-year Super Bowls, despite not having the championship game for two decades.
SUPER BOWL LXI
ESPN names five creators to document road to first Super Bowl telecast
The group will produce social-first content throughout the football season as ESPN prepares for its first Super Bowl telecast in February 2027.
SUPER BOWL LXI
CBS Sports suspends NFL analyst Tony Romo after arrest
Romo was arrested and cited earlier in the week for driving while under the influence of alcohol and other alleged crimes.
Amazon winding down NBC Sports partnership for Thursday Night Football
The partnership will end at the conclusion of the 2026 football season, after which Amazon is expected to move game production in house.
Sky Deutschland to simulcast NFL RedZone on new Sky Sport NFL channel
The deal will allow the new channel to offer NFL programming from American networks, including ESPN, NBC, CBS, Fox and Prime Video.
Bango study: Sports fans want bundled options to stay on top of games
The report highlights shifting behavior, including greater reliance on highlights and social media, rising piracy concerns and increased demand for bundled solutions.
FIRST ON THE DESK
House hearing explores sports broadcast deals in streaming era
The hearing highlighted partisan divides, with Republicans criticizing streaming exclusivity and Democrats focusing on media consolidation and rising consumer costs.
Fox Sports to offer NFL broadcasts in Mexico
Fox Sports will serve as the exclusive broadcast partner of most regular-season games aired in Mexico, the company announced on Monday.
Viewpoint: The wide world of the TV sports business
Sports programming continues to be a core part of the linear TV business — which raises questions about what happens to the business when sports moves to streaming.
By:
Kirk Varner
OPINION
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to skip Congressional hearing on media deals
A lawyer for the NFL said ongoing litigation concerning the topic of the hearing required Commissioner Goodell to exempt himself from testifying later this month.
Congress asks NFL’s Goodell to testify on broadcast TV deals
The summons comes at a time when federal lawmakers are questioning whether the NFL and other leagues should maintain carve-out exemptions to antitrust laws.