In the coming months, NFL Network will formally transition into the ESPN family of networks as part of the recently approved transaction that will see ESPN take ownership of several NFL Media assets in exchange for the league taking a 10% equity stake in the network.
As a result, NFL Network will now be included as part of ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer offering, ESPN Unlimited. The network will also be included when ESPN negotiates distribution deals with pay TV operators like Comcast, DirecTV, or YouTube TV. For all intents and purposes, NFL Network will now be treated just like ESPN2, SEC Network, or any other cable channel under the ESPN umbrella.
That’s good news for fans, who can now access all of the ESPN networks and NFL Network in one place at no additional cost. ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro confirmed this would be the case in a recent interview with CNBC.
“One of the things that we are very focused on is taking friction out of the sports fan experience,” Pitaro said, per SBJ. “NFL Network will be included in the ESPN app and will be included as a part of the ESPN Unlimited tier, which is available for $29.99 per month. In other words, there will not be an upsell for NFL Network.”
As Pitaro noted, ESPN Unlimited, which gives subscribers access to everything ESPN has to offer including its linear channels, live content that was formerly housed on ESPN+, and a vast library of non-live content, is currently priced at $29.99 per month, and will stay that way once NFL Network becomes part of the offering by the start of next football season.
Of course, it’s likely ESPN will leverage NFL Network to extract more money from pay TV operators down the line. The channel is contractually obligated to air seven games per season, and ESPN should be able to leverage that inventory, in conjunction with every other Disney-owned cable channel, to demand higher rates.
Similarly, ESPN Unlimited won’t stay priced at $29.99 per month forever. While adding NFL Network won’t directly lead to a price increase right from the get-go, it’ll certainly be factored in when ESPN eventually decides to raise the price of its direct-to-consumer offering.
At least for now, however, consumers can rest easy knowing that the addition of NFL Network won’t lead to an immediate price hike.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.