ESPN acquires NFL Network, extends NFL Draft rights, lands deal with WWE

August 6, 2025 by ESPN Press Room, CFPoll.com staff

ESPN has made several huge announcements in the past 24 hours.

ESPN and the NFL have announced a non-binding agreement under which ESPN will acquire NFL Network and certain other media assets owned and controlled by the NFL – including NFL’s linear RedZone Channel, and NFL Fantasy –  in exchange for a 10% equity stake in ESPN.

The transactions are subject to the parties’ negotiation of definitive agreements, various approvals including by the NFL team owners, and customary closing conditions.

ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.  

In addition to the sale of NFL Network, the NFL and ESPN are also entering into a second non-binding agreement, under which the NFL will license to ESPN certain NFL content and other intellectual property to be used by NFL Network and other assets.

Highlights of NFL Network acquisition:

ESPN to own and operate NFL Network, with plans to fully Integrate it into ESPN’s upcoming DTC (direct-to-consumer) service.

Under the terms of these agreements:

• NFL Network, including both linear and digital rights, would be owned and operated by ESPN and fully integrated into ESPN DTC, alongside traditional pay television distribution, increasing accessibility and flexibility for consumers and promoting innovation in sports programming.
• ESPN would own broad rights to the RedZone brand and distribute the NFL RedZone Channel to pay TV operators for continued inclusion into their sports packages.
• NFL Fantasy Football would merge with ESPN Fantasy Football, creating the official Fantasy season-long game of the NFL and one best-in-class digital experience, driving innovation and enabling broader reach to meet global demand.
• In total, ESPN’s platforms will license an additional three NFL games per season to air on NFL Network as a result of today’s news. In addition, ESPN will adjust its overall NFL game schedule, with four games (including some from overlapping windows) shifting to the NFL Network, which will continue to present seven games per season.
• The NFL will continue to own and operate its retained media businesses including properties such as NFL Films and key fan-facing platforms such as NFL+, NFL.com, the NFL Podcast Network, the NFL FAST Channel and the official sites for the league’s 32 clubs. It will also continue to own, operate, and produce NFL RedZone, and retain the rights to distribute NFL RedZone digitally.

NFL Draft

Separately, ESPN and the NFL have reached an agreement to expand the NFL experience across ESPN’s DTC service and Disney+. The agreement includes rights for additional NFL content for ESPN as well as robust interactive features to deepen the experience for fans. ESPN’s DTC offering will also stream select out-of-market NFL preseason games during the 2025 and 2026 seasons. ESPN will also be able to sell and bundle NFL+ Premium, the League’s DTC service that launched in 2022, with ESPN’s DTC service, which gives fans the ability to watch NFL Network and NFL RedZone through the NFL+ Premium offering.

WWE Main Events

ESPN and WWE announced a landmark rights agreement as ESPN platforms, including the new ESPN direct-to-consumer streaming service, will become the exclusive U.S. domestic home of all WWE Premium Live Events (PLEs), including the two-night cultural phenomenon WrestleMania, starting in 2026. This deal makes ESPN home to the highest-profile WWE events of the year.

The ESPN DTC service will stream all WWE PLEs annually, in their entirety, with select simulcasting on ESPN linear platforms. Marquee PLEs include WrestleMania and SummerSlam –both two-night events – and Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, Money in the Bank, among others. WWE will continue to produce all PLEs.

All of ESPN. All in One Place. Coming Soon.

For the first time ever, ESPN will offer its full suite of networks and services directly to fans, along with an enhanced ESPN App that integrates game stats, betting information, fantasy sports, commerce, multiview options and a personalized SportsCenter For You. Designed to give fans more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, these new features and functionality will be available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a traditional pay TV package.

Visit the ESPN Press Room for more details on each of these announcements.

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