CNBC reported Friday that ESPN has spoken to the NBA and the NFL as they search for a potential strategic partner.
CNBC wrote that the Worldwide Leader had held talks about potentially maneuvering for sports leagues to come on as minority investors.
“ESPN has held preliminary discussions with both the NFL and NBA about a variety of new partnerships,” CNBC wrote.
The report continued and delivered a significant tidbit. As far as the NFL goes, there is a specific plan, at least from the NFL and their desires.
Talks with the NFL have occurred in conjunction with the league’s own desire for a company to take a stake in its media assets, including the NFL Network, NFL.com and RedZone, said the people, who asked not to be named because the talks have been private.
Regarding the NBA, the talks unsurprisingly centered around the Association’s upcoming media rights renewals, CNBC said. Disney currently owns a share of the NBA’s media rights alongside Warner Bros. Discovery, so they have the early negotiating window. Which, at the moment, remains active.
The timing of this report is intriguing. Earlier this week, Bank of America’s Jessica Reif Ehrlich pondered Comcast as a potential partner for the Worldwide Leader as they look for strategic partners. The two sides will already be negotiating over the Hulu deal, which has a potential out at the beginning of 2024.
This remains a fascinating situation in the media rights spectrum. Potential issues could, of course, arise if the sports leagues find themselves in bed with the networks like this. In any event, though, the wheels are spinning and appear headed for uncharted territory.
[CNBC]
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022