The NFL discusses early media rights negotiations; ESPN DTC celebrates one year as “[a]round 80% of” subscribers reportedly access through trio bundle; and Charter closes its merger with Cox. Plus news on Altitude TV, MLB on ESPN, NBC Sports and Damon Amendolara.
NFL: Nothing has changed with outlook on early media rights negotiations
NFL EVP/media distribution Hans Schroeder said on a call with reporters Thursday that “nothing has changed” regarding the league’s effort to renegotiate its media rights deals ahead of schedule, despite no apparent progress having been made toward new deals. League commissioner Roger Goodell had told CNBC last September that discussions about new rights agreements could happen “as early as” this year, and John Ourand of Puck reported in March that the league wanted new deals done by the start of the coming season in September.
Thus far, the league’s only publicly-reported rights discussions have been with Paramount, whose deal the NFL is allowed to reopen due to a reported change-of-control provision in its contract by the company’s acquisition by Skydance last year. That negotiation has since been paused as Paramount focuses on the lawsuit seeking to block its proposed $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, per a report by Hannah Miller of Bloomberg. It remains unclear if the league has actually activated the change-of-control provision, which per Alex Sherman of CNBC would allow the league to exit its CBS deal by next year.
Fox Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch recently said that the company would not renegotiate its NFL media rights deal early, instead opting to wait until closer to the opt-out period. When asked about the league’s reaction to those comments, Schroeder said that it was “a question for [Fox]” and that he did not “have anything to add to that.”
Earlier in the year, Joe Flint, Dana Mattioli, Josh Dawsey and Andrew Beaton of The Wall Street Journal reported that Fox Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch voiced concerns over NFL streaming deals directly to White House officials. The league is reportedly under federal investigation pertaining to its rights deals with streaming platforms.
ESPN Unlimited marks one year, “[a]round 80% of” subs reportedly access through trio bundle
About four in five subscribers to ESPN Unlimited access the direct-to-consumer service through the so-called Disney bundle, which also includes Disney+ and Hulu, according to Sara Fischer of Axios. The in-house bundle is just one of several that include ESPN Unlimited, including one with NFL+ Premium and another with Fox One.
“Bundling and add-on options remain central to our goal of maximizing value and choice,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a memo to staff commemorating the one-year anniversary of the ESPN Unlimited launch.
The ESPN streaming service falls under Disney’s sports segment, OI for which fell 17% YoY to $858 million due to “higher programming and production costs.” Disney+, which is preparing to add more college football simulcasts this season, contributed to Q3 entertainment segment operating income of $712 million, up 116.4% year-over-year.
ESPN, as noted above, marked the one-year anniversary of its direct-to-subscriber launch this week, with Pitaro describing the company as being in the “early innings” of its “direct-to-consumer journey,” per the memo obtained by Sports Media Watch. Pitaro: “[O]ne year after the launch of ESPN DTC, we move forward with absolute confidence in where we are headed.”
Charter, Cox complete $34.5 billion merger
Charter Communications has officially acquired Cox Communications and Liberty Broadband Corporation, moving forward with a $34.5 billion transaction amid receiving the necessary regulatory approval. The deal, which had been initially announced last May, brings together two cable companies that combine for approximately 37 million subscribers. The combined company plans to change its name to Cox Communications within the next year; however, it will continue operating Spectrum-branded services and maintain its headquarters in Atlanta.
Charter has held the regional broadcast rights for the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Dodgers through its Spectrum SportsNet RSNs. Cox customers in the market who are subscribed to the Contour TV Preferred or Ultimate plan in the local market will be able to access Dodgers games on Spectrum SportsNet LA beginning this week, which had not been available beforehand. Charter does not have majority ownership of any other RSNs.
John Ourand of Puck reported Tuesday that Dodgers owner Mark Walter, who is under federal investigation, offered a lump sum payout to end the teams’ local deals early and was turned down. Ourand reported last October that Charter hired The Raine Group last year “to try and sell Spectrum SportsNet,” later adding that the Lakers are able to extend their rights deal for an additional five years in 2032.
Walter reached a deal to sell the Lakers to former Disney CEO Bob Iger and Thrive Capital founder/managing partner Joshua Kushner for $12.5 billion last week less than a year after acquiring majority ownership of the team.
Plus: Altitude TV, MLB on ESPN, NBC Sports, Damon Amendolara
- Altitude TV has named Noah Reed and Katy Winge its new broadcast team for Denver Nuggets games, replacing the longtime pairing of Chris Marlowe and Scott Hastings. Studio host/reporter Vic Lombardi is the only returning member of last year’s lead broadcast team, and he will work with new studio analysts Jason Richardson and Bill Hanzlik.
- ESPN2 will air an alternate broadcast of the MLB Little League Classic between the Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves — the company’s only Sunday night MLB game of the season — featuring former Little League World Series players Todd Frazier and Devon Travis alongside play-by-play voice Mike Monaco. The altcast, branded as the “AlumniCast,” will also feature other LLWS alumni such as Jason Marquis and Ray Ferraro.
- Former WNBA MVP Tina Charles will cover the WNBA for NBC Sports as a feature contributor and is scheduled to make her debut on Peacock/NBCSN next Monday, the network announced. Charles retired from professional basketball in May after 14 seasons, finishing her career as the league’s second all-time leading scorer and first in rebounds.
- Damon Amendolara will be exiting morning drive at SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio as part of larger changes at the station he said expect to be instituted after Labor Day, he revealed on Friday. Amendolara, who has hosted the morning program with Mike Babchik since joining the station in 2023 after previously working at Audacy-owned CBS Sports Radio. Amendolara will continue hosting the “Mad Dog Sports Sunday” show on SiriusXM NFL Radio and also creates content on his YouTube channel.
