Monday Night Football will remain on ESPN into the next decade after ESPN and the NFL agreed to an eight-year contract extension on Thursday.
ESPN and the NFL agreed to extend their current rights deal through the 2021-22 season, ESPN announced Thursday. The New York Times reports the deal is worth a total of $15.2 billion, or $1.9 billion per year (nytimes.com, 9/8).
Under the extension, which begins in the 2014-15 season, ESPN will continue to televise seventeen Monday night NFL games each season.
The network could also televise one NFL Wild Card playoff game per season, if the NFL so chooses. Currently, all NFL playoff games air on broadcast television.
ESPN will also receive rights to the Pro Bowl each season starting in 2014. Under the current NFL television deals, the game alternates between CBS, FOX and NBC each year, though ESPN aired the 2010 game after CBS declined.
ESPN will also continue to carry the NFL Draft.
Beyond traditional television, ESPN will have the right to distribute Monday Night Football on 3D and tablet devices.
The ESPN deal is the first of what should be several NFL rights announcements over the next few years. The league’s contracts with CBS, FOX and NBC each expire after the 2013-14 season, and negotiations are ongoing for a new, early-season Thursday night package.
(Information from espnmediazone3.com, New York Times)
