New NFL TV Contract Speculation

[FloridaMan88]

ESPN’s MNF contract expires in 2021 and the other TV contracts expire in 2022.

From The Athletic:

CBS Sports, which pays $1 billion annually for the Sunday afternoon package, is ready to substantially increase its fee and perhaps use its streaming service, CBS All Access, in a bid for part of Sunday Ticket or RedZone, sources said. CBS declined to comment. CBS recently merged with Viacom, so the company can better afford to play in these expensive waters.

Word floated last month that Disney’s ABC had designs on the CBS package or NBC’s Sunday Night package, and this week one high-profile analyst predicted CBS would lose the NFL.

“We believe CBS will lose Sunday afternoon NFL rights to either NBC or ABC, who are both keenly interested in having two packages (despite CBS’ long history with the NFL, its balance sheet does not give it enough firepower),” LightShed Partners’ Rich Greenfield wrote. “We believe Fox would be interested in a combo of Sunday afternoon and Sunday or Monday Night, which will drive NBC and ESPN/ABC to pay up meaningfully to retain their primetime rights.”