NEW YORK—ABC would be back in the lineup of Super Bowl broadcasters if a new media rights deal between the NFL and The Walt Disney Company is agreed to, according to reports.
Sports Business Journal reports that the NFL and Disney have reached a broad agreement for a new rights deal, which would keep “Monday Night Football” on ESPN and have ABC once again broadcast the Super Bowl, something the network has not done since 2006. While a deal is not done, SBJ cites sources that one is “very close at hand.”
The terms of the deal would see Disney pay around $2.6 billion for the right to broadcast "MNF" games and use NFL highlights for in-house studio shows. That equates to about a 30% increase from the current deal Disney has with the league. The NFL said SBJ’s report was incorrect and ESPN declined to comment.
The broadcast deals for CBS, Fox and NBC are also being redone ahead of their expiration in 2022, but all Sunday games are expected to remain as they have been in recent years with these networks. While CBS, Fox and NBC will see increases in their rights fees, SBJ says that Disney still will pay more for its package.
For more information, read SBJ’s full story.
