The NFL could be heading back to the media rights negotiating table ahead of schedule.
John Ourand of Puck reported Monday that the NFL could try to renegotiate its media rights deals before it is contractually allowed to opt-out — in 2029 for most of its rights deals and in 2030 for Disney.
Under the potential scenario, the NFL would use the renegotiation period to tack “another year or two” onto its current contracts, which would then expire around 2035. The league would get a headstart on the NHL and MLB, whose rights expire in 2028, and then again on the NBA — whose rights expire in 2036.
It is also the case that the sooner the NFL gets back to the negotiating table, the better it will be able to take advantage of the unique period in media where the established media companies are trying to survive alongside the streamers who will eventually replace them.
Per Ourand, the NFL is not looking to renegotiate its CBS contract in the event that Paramount’s merger with Skydance is approved. The league has the right to open its CBS deal if the network changes hands.
The NFL currently earns $10 billion/year from its primary media rights deals, a figure that is not much higher than the $7 billion/year the NBA will be earning in its new media rights deals that begin this year.
