In a landmark development for sports media, U.S. government regulators have granted final approval to a multi-billion-dollar deal that sees ESPN acquire key assets from NFL Media, with the transaction officially closing late Saturday, January 31, 2026. The agreement, first negotiated and announced in the summer of 2025, marks one of the most significant partnerships in recent sports broadcasting history, deepening the long-standing ties between the league and the Disney-owned network, according to The New York Times.
Under the terms, ESPN will take full ownership and operational control of NFL Network, the league’s dedicated cable channel launched in 2003. The deal also grants ESPN linear broadcast rights to the popular NFL RedZone channel, introduced in 2009 and beloved by fans for its commercial-free, multi-game whip-around coverage on Sundays. Additionally, ESPN becomes the official hub for fantasy football, merging the NFL’s fantasy platform with its own established offerings to create enhanced, innovative experiences for millions of participants.
In exchange, the NFL secures a 10 percent ownership stake in ESPN, a stake valued in the billions given the network’s overall worth. This equity position gives the league a direct financial interest in ESPN’s future success and could provide strategic influence as media landscapes evolve.
The acquisition expands ESPN’s NFL programming footprint significantly. Starting next season, the network will broadcast 28 regular-season games—its highest total ever—including the seven games previously aired on NFL Network. To accommodate this, ESPN and the NFL are eliminating “Monday Night Football” doubleheaders and shifting four games to NFL Network. The league has reclaimed four additional games from existing packages, which it may sell to streaming services amid growing competition from platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and YouTube.
Fans stand to benefit from greater accessibility. Beginning this fall, subscribers to ESPN Unlimited—the network’s direct-to-consumer streaming service launched last year at $29.99 per month—will gain full access to NFL Network content at no additional cost. The channel will also remain available through traditional cable and multichannel providers. Integration of NFL employees into ESPN is set to begin in April 2026, with fuller changes, including platform merging, rolling out ahead of the regular season.
In a joint statement, the NFL and ESPN expressed enthusiasm for the future: “The NFL and ESPN are pleased to announce the official closing of the sale of NFL Network and other NFL Media assets to ESPN. With the closing, we will begin integrating NFL employees into ESPN in the months ahead. As we look to the future, NFL fans can look forward to expanded NFL programming, greater access to NFL Network, innovative Fantasy experiences and unparalleled coverage of America’s most popular sport.”
The deal arrives at a pivotal moment for both entities. ESPN, positioning itself for “The Next Era” of streaming dominance, gains valuable live sports assets to bolster its platform amid cord-cutting trends. The NFL, already in lucrative 11-year media rights agreements worth over $110 billion with partners including NBC, Fox, CBS, and Amazon (with opt-outs possible later this decade), strengthens its position through equity and potential synergies. The timing aligns perfectly with ESPN’s upcoming broadcast of the Super Bowl in February 2027, allowing the network to enter that high-profile event with enhanced NFL infrastructure.
Industry observers note that while the NFL retains control over digital properties like NFL+, NFL.com, and RedZone production (while selling its own digital rights), the arrangement reflects a strategic pivot toward deeper integration in a fragmented media world. With streamers increasingly vying for NFL content—Amazon in its fifth season of Thursday Night Football, and one-off deals with Netflix and YouTube—the partnership could foreshadow more consolidated coverage and innovative fan features.
This blockbuster transaction underscores the enduring value of NFL content in driving viewership and revenue. As integration proceeds, fans can anticipate a more unified, expansive NFL experience across ESPN’s ecosystem, potentially reshaping how America’s most-watched sport is consumed for years to come.
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