The NFL’s Thursday Night Football options are reportedly down to less money, streaming, or Fox Sports.
Sports Business Daily reported Monday that Fox Sports and incumbents CBS and NBC were the only TV networks to submit bids for the next Thursday Night Football contract. Of those three, only Fox offered to pay more than the current $450 million/year rights fee.
CBS and NBC would pay less money under their respective bids. It is rare for a major professional sport to take less money in a new rights deal.
According to the report, Fox is intent on signaling its continued viability in the sports rights market. Parent company 21st Century Fox recently reached a deal to sell most of its assets to Disney, which if approved, would leave a drastically reduced company made up of FOX, FS1 and a couple of cable news channels.
Sports Business Daily had previously reported that ESPN would submit a bid on behalf of ABC, but network executives decided against that move “at the last minute.” As for digital outlets, which are able to bid on the full TNF package for the first time, Facebook pulled out of consideration last week.
Amazon and Twitter have submitted bids, though it was unclear whether the outlets were seeking to maintain their simulcast rights or acquire the full package.
[Mon. news from Sports Business Daily 1.22]
