by Disney (DIS) said on Tuesday that ESPN has reached a provisional agreement with the NFL to acquire Media assets, including NFL Network, NFL Redzone and NFL Fantasy in exchange for an interest of 10% shares.
The new partnership is intended to broaden the reach of NFL content by Disney’s growing streaming footprint. ESPN plans to integrate NFL Network into its upcoming direct-to-consumer platform, set to launch August 21 at a price of $ 29.99 per month, while retaining the distribution via cable and satellite. The value of the ring was not announced.
Disney shares initially rose after the NFL news, but fell about 2% shortly after the opening of Wednesday as investors showed the company’s Q3 winning report of the company.
“This deal helps feed the digital future of ESPN and lay the foundation for an even more robust range while we are preparing to launch our new direct-to-consumer service,” said Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of ESPN, in a statement.
During the profit call on Wednesday, Disney CEO Bob IGer said that the NFL deal will be in the first year after the close in the first year, with reference to increased income and business income by distributing NFL media assets, plus potential advantage of lower churn and advertisements.
In addition to the acquisition, ESPN and the NFL have also concluded a second non-binding agreement. According to the conditions, the competition determined NFL content and intellectual property will license ESPN for use in the newly acquired NFL -Media activa.
The NFL agreement occurs on another major straightforward that will be unveiled this week: ESPN will be the exclusive American streaming house of WWE Premium Live events, including Wrestlemania and Summerslam, starting in 2026 -a movement that is seen as further strengthening the content setup for its new DTC service.
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