Why the NFL's desire for a new media deal hurts the rest of the Big 4
It's currently in the process of snatching Christmas Day away from the NBA, it holds the NFL Draft right when the NHL playoffs begin and it (rightfully) assumes everyone will turn off baseball once the regular season kicks off in September.
That doesn't include the NFL turning the schedule release into a months-long drawn out process, either.
So it's no surprise to see reporting from Puck's John Ourand this week that the NFL is considering renegotiating it's media rights deals. The league reportedly believes it will be better positioned by acting before their 2033 expiration to jump the line ahead of the other Big 4 North American leagues. According to Ourand, the NFL has an opt out in it's current media rights package in 2029 that many in the industry expect will be used. But there's another scenario that could create more trouble for the rest of the Big 4.
Per Ourand:
According to my sources, the league could approach the networks before the 2029 opt-out and try to renegotiate new deals. In this current configuration, the NFL would waive any opt-out provision and extend the current broadcast deals, which expire in 2033, for another year or two.
A lot has to happen before the NFL actually moves forward with this kind of plan—starting with the closing of the Skydance-Paramount merger. But it would make a lot of sense for the league, allowing it to bring its rights to market before MLB and the NHL, whose rights deals come up in 2028. By cutting the line, the NFL could proposition streamers and legacy media companies before they spend their treasure on other sports rights.
In other words, this plan would require networks to figure out how much they want to bid on rights packages for the NFL before allocating funds for MLB, NHL and NBA deals rather than the other way around.
As for what this means those of us who just want to watch the games: Fans who are sick of having to pay for a billion (rough estimate) streaming services and extra channels just to watch their favorite non-NFL teams won't get much of a break if the NFL goes through with this plan. If the legacy networks shell out even more for the NFL, the other sports have to look for revenue elsewhere. The NFL sees the rest of the Big 4 getting ready to enjoy a nice, refreshing milkshake and The Shield plans to drink it up first.
It's a ruthless move, but the kind we've come to expect from Roger Goodell's tenure as commissioner. The NFL is on top of the North American sports world and will do whatever it must to stay there.
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