The NFL is used to getting its way when it comes to media rights negotiations. But sports media executives like John Skipper are sounding the alarm that the league could “kill the golden goose” when it comes to its broadcast partners.
As the industry knows full well, the NFL wants to opt out early from its $111 billion, 11-year deals with CBS, NBC, Fox, ESPN, and Amazon Prime Video, which were signed in 2021. The league is seeking increases of roughly 50% or more from media partners. The talks have already started with CBS Sports, which could see its annual payout rise to more than $3 billion a year from the current $2.1 billion for its Sunday afternoon game package.
Yes, the NFL believes its rights are undervalued. Yes, legacy broadcast networks should kiss Commissioner Roger Goodell’s ring to ensure their futures at a time when scripted Hollywood dramas, sitcoms, and reality TV shows are falling by the wayside.
But Skipper, the former president of ESPN, is raising eyebrows by warning that the NFL is getting too greedy. In the future, only the tech giants will be able to afford $4 billion to $5 billion media deals, he warns. By playing hardball with legacy media partners like Fox Corp., Goodell’s league could price them right out of the football business.
