With the NFL, every transaction is important.
As the dominant provider of content for live television, when the league enters into a new deal or changes its programming, it will be felt throughout the media ecosystem.
Many of these big changes happen at the league’s owners’ meetings, held several times a year in various locations across the United States, where all 32 owners come together to sign deals or major changes.
This week, these owners gathered at the Intercontinental Barclay Hotel in midtown Manhattan, and there was plenty of media news to discuss.
For starters, the owners officially signed the multibillion-dollar deal that will see the league take a stake in ESPN, with the Disney-owned media giant securing the NFL Network and rights to the RedZone brand.
That said, Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s executive vice president responsible for media rights deals, told reporters the deal still needs to go through the regulatory process.
“There are a number of steps in a transaction like this and a number of them that we don’t control, so we’re going to do everything we can,” Schroeder said. “We’re going to cooperate, we’re going to partner, and in the meantime, we’re going to continue to run our business and work with all of our partners as we always have. But certainly, when this ends, I think we’re really excited. It’s an opportunity for soccer fans to see more soccer in more places, more types of content.”
“If you take the content engine that is ESPN and combine it with NFL Network, you think about the opportunity to integrate NFL Network into the new ESPN Unlimited product and expand distribution… We think the marriage of NFL Network and ESPN, the content engine and all the platforms they have is going to be a real win for football fans,” he added.
The league also signed a new deal with Amazon Prime Video to bring the Nov. 28 Black Friday football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears to a global audience in more than 240 countries, a significant expansion of the game’s reach.
“We are excited to expand our relationship with the NFL and introduce Black Friday Football to the millions of fans we serve around the world,” said Jay Marine, Prime Video US head of global sports. “Black Friday is becoming one of the best sports holidays of the year, and this can’t-miss game between the Super Bowl champion Eagles and the Bears, in one of the busiest stadium atmospheres in sports, is the centerpiece of a huge day for all of us at Amazon. We look forward to bringing fans best-in-class coverage and a full day of action, holiday deals and surprises. »
But the league also announced a deal with Electronic Arts (which is in the process of going private) to continue its Madden NFL video game franchise through 2030. That said, the partnership is also expanding, with NFL executive vice president and chief revenue officer Renie Anderson telling reporters that EA will further market the games in foreign markets and may also develop a more casual game to complete Madden.
“Our relationship with EA will remain unchanged (with take-private),” Anderson said. “So, focusing more on soccer and integration, which is what we’re passionate about, we’re going to work together to really create a soccer ecosystem for fans who think about the game. You know, Madden is a really complex game, and so we’re working on a casual game to introduce fans here domestically and internationally, which is also really focused on this global growth that we have, and working as partners to help us grow the game of football.”
“EA Sports and the NFL have built one of the most iconic partnerships in all of sports and entertainment, and we see many opportunities ahead for football fans around the world,” Cam Weber, president of EA Sports, said in a statement. “With more than 2 billion Madden NFL games played each year, the global community of football fans connected through gaming has never been larger. Together with the NFL, we will continue to shape the interactive future of football by expanding Madden NFL, growing college football and creating revolutionary new experiences for the next generation of fans.”
And the league also approved major changes to its Pro Bowl, which will move from the Sunday of the week before the Super Bowl to the Tuesday before the Super Bowl, while also becoming part of the Super Bowl week festivities. Next year, the Pro Bowl flag football game will be held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, where NFL fan activities are planned, with ESPN developing plans for live coverage.
“We decided to use the platform that we have, obviously, with the Olympics coming up and players having the opportunity to participate, is to make the Pro Bowl our biggest week with our biggest players, and it’s a Super Bowl week,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters.
Notably, NFL executive Peter O’Reilly noted that ESPN will also air select high school girls’ flag football in its coverage window as part of expanded coverage of the event, which will include live coverage this Tuesday, as well as preview programming on Sunday.
“They’re going to bring a lot of innovation to how this year will come to life on television,” O’Reilly said.
Peyton and Eli Manning, who served as coaches in the last Pro Bowl flag football game, will not return to those roles next time, although they will remain involved. “We’re not announcing today, but we will have two new coaches for the AFC and NFC teams,” he said. “The Mannings will remain involved and very passionate about this event and will continue to promote it.”
Of course, the ubiquitous nature of the NFL means it sometimes finds itself in the spotlight. The choice to make Bad Bunny the title of next year’s Super Bowl drew backlash from the Trump administration and some prominent conservative commentators, but Goodell told reporters the league was committed to his performance.
“He’s one of the biggest, most popular artists in the world. That’s what we’re trying to achieve. It’s an important stage for us. It’s an important piece of entertainment value, and it’s carefully thought out,” Goodell said of the choice to feature Bad Bunny as the centerpiece of the halftime show. “I’m not sure we’ve ever selected an artist without facing backlash and criticism. It’s quite difficult to do.”
