A carriage dispute has led to NFL Network, RedZone channels being unavailable for Comcast users; Russell Wilson could reportedly join the CBS NFL studio team; and Tennis Channel CEO Jeff Blackburn explains that the network is “not on the market.” Plus news on UEFA, Prime Video, NBC Sports and ESPN.
NFL Network, RedZone channels not available on Comcast amid carriage dispute
In their first carriage renegotiation since being acquired by Disney earlier this year, NFL Network and RedZone went dark on Comcast Xfinity after the sides were unable to reach a deal. “Disney/ESPN acquired NFL Network and Red Zone just months ago and are already demanding double the fees for the same content,” a Comcast spokesperson told Sports Media Watch. “Their distribution demands would also make millions more pay for a channel they don’t watch. We remain open to continuing to talk and reach a fair deal for our customers.”
“We understand how disappointing and disruptive this is for football fans who have lost access to NFL Network and RedZone Channel as part of their Xfinity TV lineup,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement provided to Sports Media Watch. “We proposed keeping these channels available while we continued good-faith negotiations, but unfortunately Comcast declined and took them down. Despite this, we remain fully committed to reaching a fair agreement and restoring access to our best-in-class NFL programming as quickly as possible.”
Carriage of the other ESPN-owned networks has not been affected. Disney reached a deal last summer to acquire NFL Network and other NFL Media assets, including linear distribution rights to RedZone. That agreement closed in February, and Disney assumed operations of NFL Network last month.
With the NFL Draft now complete, NFL Network has little if any live programming scheduled beyond studio shows for the next several months, and RedZone has no content at all outside of its live Sunday shows during the season. ESPN last reached a new carriage agreement with Comcast for its suite of networks last October, according to a report by John Ourand of Puck, which is before the NFL Media deal officially closed. Comcast has an existing carriage dispute with The E.W. Scripps Company that has yet to be resolved.
Wilson reportedly could join CBS NFL studio team
Longtime NFL QB Russell Wilson “is in deep discussions to go into television” with CBS being viewed as the favorite, according to a report by Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. Wilson, who joined the network as a guest analyst in Week 14 last season, would presumably fill the vacancy left by the departure of Matt Ryan, who joined the Atlanta Falcons organization full time to serve as its president of football.
Marchand reported that Wilson and CBS have had “lengthy discussions.” If he were to sign with CBS and join “The NFL Today,” he would presumably be working alongside James Brown, Bill Cowher and Nate Burleson.
Wilson played for the New York Giants last season, but he did not start any games after Week 3 amid the emergence of rookie QB Jaxson Dart. The 14-year NFL veteran has played a majority of his career for the Seattle Seahawks and won a Super Bowl championship in 2014. Following his nine-year stint with the Seahawks, Wilson played quarterback for the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Marchand added that CBS has shown interest in Luke Kuechly, a former linebacker who works as a radio analyst for Carolina Panthers games. Kuechly will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer as part of its 2026 induction class. Any change to “The NFL Today” roster would mark the third in four seasons after several years of consistency. J.J. Watt had been in studio prior to Ryan, but he became a live game analyst alongside play-by-play announcer Ian Eagle and reporter Evan Washburn.
Blackburn: Tennis Channel “not on the market”
Sinclair Broadcasting-owned Tennis Channel is “not on the market,” the network’s CEO Jeff Blackburn told Dade Hayes of Deadline this week, apparently putting an end to talks of a potential sale. Sinclair president/CEO Chris Ripley added in a Thursday earnings call that the company plans to invest in the network, which he called “a differentiated premium sports asset.”
“We are investing in the product, upgrading the rights and programming, and upgrading the direct-to-consumer experience,” Ripley said. “A lot of that investment has been over the last year and really has not even come to light yet. Over the course of this year, you are going to see more and more upgrades to the product and the experience.”
Sinclair paid $350 million for the stock of Tennis Channel in March 2016, purchasing the cable network from a group of private equity companies such as Apollo Global Management and CCMP Capital. Tennis Channel, which last year signed extensions with both the Women’s Tennis Associations and International Tennis Federation last year, recently struck a deal with Amazon to add its streaming service to Amazon’s Prime Video Channels.
Sinclair said that March was the most-watched month yet for Tennis Channel, which became a Nielsen-rated network in 2017. Viewership was up 19% during the first quarter of the year. (Note that changes in Nielsen methodology skew comparisons to past years.)
Plus: UEFA, Prime Video, NBC Sports, ESPN
- UEFA has agreed to a suite of new media rights deals for men’s soccer tournaments in 19 territories expected to bring broadcast/commercial rights revenue to over $5.9 billion per year, according to a report by David Hellier of Bloomberg. The governing body had previously announced media rights deals in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom last fall. Several major media conglomerates are part of these new deals, including Warner Bros. Discovery, The Walt Disney Company and Paramount.
- Amazon president/CEO Andy Jassy said during the company’s earnings call Thursday that the Prime Video streaming service “is now a large and profitable business in its own right.” While Amazon does not denote specific income for the streaming outlet, it should be noted that Jassy wanted the service to be profitable by the end of 2025, according to a report by Sahil Patel of The Information. North American segment operating income for Amazon finished at $8.27 billion on the quarter, representing a 41.5% YoY increase.
- The season debut of “MLB Sunday Leadoff” on Peacock will include play-by-play announcer Matt Vasgersian calling Blue Jays-Twins with analysts Dexter Fowler and Justin Morneau, both of whom have worked on regional broadcasts in analyst roles. The crew will be joined by reporter Caroline Pineda, marking the first time this season that the network will utilize someone in this role. The “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcast of Rangers-Tigers will feature play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti with Detroit SportsNet analyst Dan Petry and Rangers Sports Network analyst Mike Bacsik. Pregame coverage includes host Ahmed Fareed with analyst Anthony Rizzo.
- ESPN is premiering “The Pick Is In” this Sunday at 7 PM ET, an all-access documentary produced by NFL Films and Skydance Sports that yields a behind-the-scenes view of the NFL Draft. The production features five of the top-10 selections, including Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza, Cardinals RB Jeremiyah Love and Giants LB Arvell Reese. Sunday could feature several Game 7 matchups in the NBA and NHL depending on the results of forthcoming games.
