Fox is not engaging in domestic rights renegotiations with the NFL until at least 2028, company executive chair and CEO Lachlan Murdoch said Thursday.
As the broadcaster reported its fiscal fourth quarter earnings, Murdoch said recent discussions with the league have created consensus to table the issue.
“We’ll be ready to engage with the NFL on the opt-out seasons and beyond at a day closer to the 2030 season, which has been the customary timetable,” Murdoch said. “Obviously, we have been talking with them over the last period about the future of our rights, certainly for the next four years, and then beyond the opt-out period. But we feel we continue to have a great relationship with them … We think we can see a clear path forward, certainly through the ’29 season, and also beyond.”
The NFL had been planning to begin talks on new domestic rights deals as soon as this year as it is posting historic viewership totals. League commissioner Roger Goodell has repeatedly lauded the importance of the NFL’s contractual opt-outs that begin to take effect after the 2029 season, allowing it to take fuller advantage of its enhanced market power, and Fox had long been bracing for the financial impact of higher rights fees.
