It’s Official: NFL Inks Rights Deals With Amazon, CBS, ESPN/ABC, Fox, NBC Through 2033

The deals begin in 2023 and are reportedly worth a total of $105 billion

After months of industry chatter, the NFL has officially signed long-term media-rights deals with Amazon, CBS, ESPN/ABC, Fox, and NBC for the distribution of NFL games. The new agreements, which will begin with the 2023 season and run through the 2033 season, are reportedly worth about $110 billion (according to the New York Times and SportsBusiness Journal) — a significant hike from the $43.1 billion the four networks (Amazon not included) will have paid when their current packages expire.

The deals cover NFL’s first-ever all-digital package, with Amazon Prime Video picking up exclusive rights to Thursday Night Football. In addition, both CBS and Fox hold onto their respective Sunday packages while also getting additional streaming rights (on Paramount+ and Tubi, respectively). ESPN remains the home of Monday Night Football, ABC will join the Super Bowl rotation, and NBC keeps Sunday Night Football and adds streaming rights for Peacock.

“These new media deals will provide our fans even greater access to the games they love,” says NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “We’re proud to grow our partnerships with the most innovative media companies in the market. Along with our recently completed labor agreement with the NFLPA, these distribution agreements bring an unprecedented era of stability to the league and will permit us to continue to grow and improve our game.”

Amazon Makes History With All-Digital Rights Package

In the NFL’s first-ever all-digital package, Amazon Prime Video has acquired the rights to be the exclusive home of Thursday Night Football across hundreds of compatible devices. The NFL and Amazon first partnered on Thursday Night Football as part of a Tri-Cast distribution model during the 2017 season.

“NFL games are the most watched live programming in the U.S.,” notes Mike Hopkins, SVP, Prime Video and Amazon Studios. “This unprecedented Thursday Night Football package gives tens of millions of new and existing Prime members exclusive access to must-watch live football on Prime Video. NFL fans from across the country will enjoy a premium viewing experience with Thursday Night Football, as well as access to a broad selection of content, including award-winning Amazon Originals available on Prime Video.”

CLICK HERE for more details on Amazon’s NFL rights package.

CBS Keeps AFC Sunday Package, Picks Up Digital Rights for Paramount+

With its new multiplatform agreement, CBS retains the rights for the American Football Conference (AFC) package of Sunday-afternoon games. All games will be broadcast on the CBS Television Network and streamed live on Paramount+, ViacomCBS’s flagship streaming service. CBS is the NFL’s longest-running media partner, having begun televising NFL games in 1956.

“The NFL has been a cornerstone of CBS Sports programming for more than 60 years,” says Sean McManus, chairman, CBS Sports. “We are extremely pleased to extend our longstanding partnership with the NFL for the next decade. The NFL is the most valuable content in all of media, and we are excited that the deal allows for more Sunday-afternoon games than ever before, and we retain the NFL’s most-watched time slot. This wide-ranging deal includes significantly expanded rights, and we look forward to continued growth and to maximizing the enormous value of the NFL across all of our CBS Sports platforms.”

CLICK HERE for more details on CBS’s NFL rights package.

ESPN Retains Monday Night Football; ABC Adds Two Super Bowls

ESPN will continue to be the NFL’s television partner for cable’s most-watched series, Monday Night Football. Additionally, ABC has acquired the rights to televise two Super Bowls along with exclusive regular-season games. ESPN+ subscribers can stream one International Series game on an exclusive national basis every season, and the new agreement gives ESPN the opportunity to simulcast all ABC and ESPN games on ESPN+. The new agreement for ESPN covers 11 years, including a 10-year deal beginning in 2023 and a bridge-year deal in 2022. These agreements also offer increased ability to flex games to Monday Night Football.

“When ESPN and the NFL work best together, the results are transformational for sports fans and the industry,” Jimmy Pitaro, chairman, ESPN and sports content, The Walt Disney Company. “Some of the most remarkable collaborative examples have occurred in the past 12 months and have demonstrated the extraordinary range of The Walt Disney Company that is fundamental to this agreement. There are so many exciting new components, including Super Bowls and added playoff games, new end-of-season games with playoff implications, exclusive streaming games on ESPN+, scheduling flexibility and enhancements, and much more. It’s a wide-ranging agreement unlike any we’ve reached with the NFL, and we couldn’t be more energized about what the future holds.”

CLICK HERE for more details on ESPN/ABC’s NFL rights package.

Fox Keeps NFC Sunday Package, Expands Digital Rights

Fox has renewed its agreement to produce the National Football Conference (NFC) package of Sunday-afternoon games that it acquired in 1994. Fox expanded its digital rights, including for its AVOD streaming platform Tubi to deliver NFL programming on digital platforms. America’s Game of the Week has been the most-watched show in all of television for the last 12 seasons and the most-watched NFL window for the last 20 seasons.

“Today, we extend our 27-year partnership with the NFL and solidify the foundation of our marquee sports portfolio beyond the end of the decade,” says Lachlan Murdoch, executive chairman/CEO, Fox Corp. “In addition to maintaining our leading Sunday-afternoon NFC package, we are pleased to broaden our deal to include new digital rights that provide us with the flexibility to deliver NFL on Fox to customers in expanded and innovative ways. This long-term agreement ensures that we will continue to deliver the best in football coverage to our viewers while also strengthening and providing optionality to our business.”

CLICK HERE for more details on Fox’s NFL rights package.

Sunday Night Football To Stay on NBC, Will Stream on Peacock

Sunday Night Football, the No. 1 primetime show on TV for an unprecedented 10th consecutive year, will continue to be produced by NBC Sports. In addition to simulcasting all Sunday Night Football games, Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, will deliver an exclusive feed of a selected number of NFL games over the course of the agreement. NBC first acquired its package of primetime games in 2006. As part of these agreements, there will be an increased ability to flex games to Sunday Night Football.

“We are excited to expand upon our relationship with the NFL, which is the most powerful content in sports and entertainment,” says Pete Bevacqua, chairman, NBC Sports Group. “Sunday Night Football has been television’s most-watched primetime show for a decade, and we look forward to continuing our best-in-class presentation of SNF, Super Bowls, and playoff games for many years to come, while also broadening our audience, with Peacock becoming the live-streaming home for all NBC NFL games.”

CLICK HERE for more details on NBC’s NFL rights package.

ABC Joins the Super Bowl Shuffle

CBS, Fox, and NBC will each televise three Super Bowls, and ABC will carry two during the term of the agreements. The following is the Super Bowl broadcast schedule through 2033.

• CBS: 2023, 2027, 2031
• Fox: 2024, 2028, 2032
• NBC: 2025, 2029, 2033
• ESPN/ABC: 2026, 2030

More Ways To Watch: Wider Digital Distribution, Alternative Game Presentations

NFL Network will continue to televise a schedule of exclusive NFL games on a yearly basis.

With games on Amazon Prime Video, ESPN+, Paramount+, Peacock, and Fox Digital platforms — in addition to NFL Mobile and digital platforms — NFL games are now available in more places and on more devices than ever to meet the evolving consumption habits of NFL fans.

The NFL’s media partners will now have greater ability to innovate around their productions and provide interactive elements — stats/data, chat, integrated social feeds — as part of their digital presentations. Additionally, there will be alternative presentations of selected NFL games in addition to each partner’s main production similar to ones that fans viewed during the 2020 postseason with ESPN’s MegaCast and CBS Sports’ presentation on Nickelodeon.

While increasing its digital presence, the NFL remains to be the only sports league that delivers all of its games — regular-season and playoffs — on free, over-the-air television. Through the new agreement with ESPN, the NFL will broaden its broadcast distribution to include ABC, which will carry two Super Bowls along with additional exclusive regular-season games each year. (Monday Night Football and Thursday Night Football are required by contract to be carried on over-the-air, broadcast stations in the cities of the participating teams.)