ESPN-NFL Media deal officially closes after gaining regulatory approval

Last summer’s massive ESPN-NFL Media deal has officially closed, as concerns about a prolonged regulatory process did not come to fruition.

ESPN and the NFL announced the closing in a joint statement that was first reported by Andrew Marchand of The Athletic Saturday night. The deal was approved well in enough time to go into effect for next season, meaning that ESPN will begin its Super Bowl campaign with ownership of NFL Network and an expanded 28-game regular season schedule. ESPN will begin integrating NFL Network employees in the coming months, the statement said.

Per sources, NFL Network staffers will officially become ESPN employees in April and NFL Network will become a part of ESPN’s direct-to-consumer offering by next fall.

When the deal was first announced last summer, it did not seem likely that approval would come as soon as January. At the time, Skydance had just come off of an onerous regulatory process in its purchase of Paramount and there was considerable speculation that Disney and the NFL might be subject to the same treatment. But as was the case with its merger of Fubo and Hulu last fall, Disney was able to gain regulatory approval without seeming to break a sweat.

As a refresher, the deal gives ESPN ownership of NFL Network, which will continue to carry seven exclusive NFL game windows per season. Three of those seven windows will be newly licensed to ESPN by the NFL, and the remaining four will be carved out of existing ESPN inventory by discontinuing the overlapping “Monday Night Football” doubleheaders that have underperformed in the ratings, and by eliminating the annual streaming-exclusive window on ESPN+.

ESPN has also acquired the right to distribute NFL RedZone on linear television and ownership of the “RedZone” brand name. The NFL will continue to own and produce RedZone and distribute it via digital platforms.

The deal gives the NFL a ten percent stake in ESPN.

Especially in the immediate aftermath of the deal announcement last summer, ESPN took pains to assure the public that the deal will not meaningfully change its content or that of NFL Network. ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro has said on multiple occasions that the deal will not impact how ESPN covers the NFL, and ESPN president of content Burke Magnus has said that ESPN plans to preserve the distinct voice of NFL Network.