ESPN Reaches Multi-year Extension To Air NFL Draft As Well As

ESPN will continue to broadcast the NFL Draft in addition to getting new digital rights for its upcoming direct-to-consumer service.


The two agreements were announced Wednesday morning, two hours before the Walt Disney Company revealed its third-quarter revenues.


It also followed the NFL and ESPN announced a nonbinding contract Tuesday night in which ESPN will obtain the NFL Network and other league media assets while the NFL gets a 10% equity stake in ESPN.


ESPN has aired the NFL Draft given that 1980, when the league's yearly selection conference took location at the New york city Sheraton Hotel. At that time, the draft was 2 days (Tuesday and Wednesday) and took 12 rounds.


Next year's draft will be in Pittsburgh and is expected to bring in huge crowds over the three days. The very first round has had its own night given that 2010.


ESPN and ABC will each have their own telecasts of the first 3 rounds on Thursday and Friday. ABC will simulcast ESPN's protection of the last four rounds on Saturday.


FILE - ESPN Monday Night Football TV cam is seen throughout the 2nd half of an NFL football video game in between the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings, Monday, Dec. 20, 2021, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski, File)


Besides ESPN's direct-to-consumer service, Disney+ and Hulu will likewise stream the ESPN, ABC, and ESPN Deportes ´ feeds under the multi-year agreement. The draft will likewise continue to be aired on NFL Network.


"We ´ ve been discussing the draft since in 2015 and how we continue to develop on that. ESPN has actually been a partner in that from the first day, bringing, the fans closer to that event and building that event into one of the most popular occasions on the sporting calendar, which is extraordinary if you reflect a few decades," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell informed The Associated Press. "We know that relationship works, and we ´ re proud that ESPN is going to continue to be a partner."


ESPN will likewise produce a day-to-day program leading up to the NFL Draft that will start the day after the Super Bowl. That program will air most days on ESPN2, in addition to being offered on the direct-to-consumer service.


ESPN has also reached a licensing arrangement that permits additional NFL content and interactive features, consisting of statistics, fantasy football group efficiency and legalized sports wagering information and tracking. It likewise to sell and bundle NFL+ Premium, the league's direct-to-consumer item that includes out-of-market preseason video games and replays of full games.


There will also be expanded highlight rights for the ESPN direct-to-consumer service and Disney+.


"This will make the fan experience much stronger. The goal for ESPN when they introduce the services is to produce something that doesn ´ t exist on direct (tv) since the innovation allows it," Disney CEO Bob Iger said to AP. "We ´ ve spoke about personalization and customized SportsCenter and the ability to basically create data and to tie wagering to a few of the programs."