The National Football League unveiled long-term media deals that people familiar with the matter said are valued at over $100 billion, providing a windfall for the league and significantly expanding the availability of games on streaming platforms.
The league secured a combined average increase of 75% to 80% in fees from its media partners in the 11-year deals that were announced Thursday, one of the people said.
Amazon.com Inc . will become the new home of Thursday Night Football. The major broadcast and cable TV packages are staying with the same networks, with CBS and Fox retaining Sunday afternoon games and NBC keeping “Sunday Night Football.” ESPN will hold onto “Monday Night Football” and its sister network ABC will join the rotation of broadcasters who televise the Super Bowl.
The new contracts show the balance the league is trying to strike by embracing digital platforms, as younger audiences migrate to them, without alienating fans used to watching games on TV. Viewership of NFL games fell 7% in the 2020-2021 regular season, amid the pandemic. Beyond the Amazon deal, all the TV networks will get new rights to air certain games on their nascent subscription-streaming platforms.
“This is about the future,” Robert Kraft, the New England Patriots owner who chairs the NFL’s media committee, said in an interview, adding that the deals allow the league and its partners to adapt to an “environment that’s changing so fast.”
