According to a report from The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, ESPN is set to buy NFL Media and could spend as much as $2 billion in order to lock up the acquisition.
The discussions have been heating up in recent weeks, and now, it appears that the “Worldwide Leader in Sports” could widen the gap between themselves and the rest of the industry.
The NFL Media umbrella includes a couple of huge moneymakers, with both NFL Network and NFL Redzone a part of the potential deal.
It’s an interesting development for ESPN, too, as they are reportedly set to roll out a direct-to-customer streaming option later this year—meaning sports fans could get all of their content in one place.
It could be a major move for the company’s immediate and long-term future, as Marchand pointed out in his podcast.
“When we look back in 10, 15 years if this deal goes down, this could be a very significant point for ESPN’s growth when you’re adding it all up, and we’re really in a full streaming world,” Marchand said in his podcast. “I think it’s pretty significant whether it happens in the next few months or not.”
ESPN already has a strong standing in NFL content, with all sorts of fantasy coverage and standing shows like Good Morning Football and The Insiders already on board. But, add in options like RedZone and Gameday Morning, and it could be huge.
“When you look at Netflix and Amazon, they don’t necessarily need the NFL. Those businesses aren’t based off the NFL,” Marchand added. “So if you’re ESPN, you get that relationship even deeper for the long-term with the NFL. I think it makes some sense, and it could be a game-changer.”
