The National Football League has agreed to long-term media agreements with Amazon, CBS, ESPN/ABC, FOX and NBC for the distribution of NFL games over both television and digital platforms while also expanding the frequency of flexed games in upcoming seasons.
As part of the deals, Amazon Prime Video will be the exclusive home of Thursday Night Football, the NFL’s first ever all-digital agreement.
CBS retains the rights for the AFC package of Sunday afternoon games under the agreement, broadcasting them on CBS Television Network and live-streamed on Paramount+.
Monday Night Football will continue to be aired on ESPN under the agreement, which also gives ABC rights to televise two Super Bowls along with exclusive regular season games. The NFL’s new agreement with ESPN covers 11 years, including a 10-year deal that starts in 2023 and a bridge year deal in 2022, the league said.
Under the agreement, FOX will continue to produce NFC Sunday afternoon games and NBC will continue to produce Sunday Night Football. NBC will also be able to stream a number of games on their Peacock service as part of the agreement.
NFL Network will continue to have a select schedule of exclusive NFL games each season.
The NFL’s new media agreements increased the league’s digital presence and broadened its television broadcast distribution, both in the regular season and postseason.
As part of the new agreements, the league has also allowed the increased ability to flex games to both Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football “allowing fans to watch more meaningful games in primetime.” Games were not previously able to be flexed to Monday Night Football.
After adding ABC to the league’s Super Bowl broadcast carriers, here is the Super Bowl broadcast scheduled through 2033:
- CBS: 2023, 2027, 2031
- FOX: 2024, 2028, 2032
- NBC: 2025, 2029, 2033
- ESPN/ABC: 2026, 2030
Teams across the league will now look forward to increased salary caps, which took a hit this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as a result of these new media deals.
"These new media deals will provide our fans even greater access to the games they love. We're proud to grow our partnerships with the most innovative media companies in the market," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a press release. "Along with our recently completed labor agreement with the NFLPA, these distribution agreements bring an unprecedented era of stability to the League and will permit us to continue to grow and improve our game."
