NFL Network and the NFL RedZone channel have returned to Comcast Xfinity users approximately three months after the expiration of a previous carriage agreement.
The Walt Disney Company, which acquired ownership of both entities as part of a deal that granted the NFL a 10% equity stake in ESPN, inked a new agreement with Comcast for the cable networks announced Monday. Carriage of other Disney programming was unaffected amid the dispute.
“We’re pleased to have reached an agreement with The Walt Disney Company to bring NFL Network to our customers in time for the start of the preseason games and to offer NFL RedZone Channel at the beginning of the regular season,” a Comcast spokesperson said in a statement provided to Sports Media Watch.
NFL Network did not have a considerable amount of live studio programming during its time away from Xfinity, while RedZone does not have any content beyond its Sunday studio shows during the season. It remains unknown if the networks will be available beyond an add-on that also includes other league-branded networks.
Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal reported that “[a] key issue” within the discussions between Comcast and Disney were related to the number of exclusive NFL games that would continue to air on NFL Network. The cable outlet has been carrying seven games per season for the last several years, most of which have been international contests. For the upcoming season, NFL Network is airing five international games, along with its traditional Saturday Week 16 doubleheader.
At the time the channels became unavailable, a Comcast spokesperson stated that Disney/ESPN was “demanding double the fees for the same content” and that the “distribution demands would also make millions more pay for a channel they don’t watch.” A Disney spokesperson called the outage “disappointing and disruptive,” adding that the company “proposed keeping these channels available” amid “good-faith negotiations.”
ESPN continued to offer its streaming bundle that grants access to ESPN Unlimited and NFL+ Premium for $40/month. The ESPN direct-to-consumer platform also started offering access to NFL Network last month.
ESPN engaged in a round of layoffs last month that impacted jobs “tied to the acquisition” of NFL assets, reportedly including front-facing talent at NFL Network such as Tom Pelissero and Charles Davis.
NFL Network recently aired live coverage of “Back Together Weekend,” which included Sunday’s enshrinement ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. ESPN is creating “a consolidated West Coast production center at Hollywood Park in Inglewood” that will include ESPN studio programming, NFL RedZone and continued shows from NFL Network. The move is expected to occur by early September, placing it months ahead of the network’s Super Bowl broadcast from SoFi Stadium in February.
