Overview
- The NFL has started renegotiating with CBS and is seeking about $3 billion per year instead of $2.1 billion, according to multiple reports.
- Awful Announcing reports the CBS talks use a change-of-control clause and could exchange a higher fee for removing an opt-out so the deal runs through 2033.
- Network leaders are signaling caution, with John Ourand saying some may wait until late-decade opt-outs, ESPN reportedly balking at similar hikes, and Fox’s Lachlan Murdoch calling current payments market price.
- NBC Sports reports the league aims to keep core TV windows but may explore swapping NBC’s Sunday night and Amazon’s Thursday night packages and selling small holiday and international bundles to streamers like Netflix and YouTube.
- Industry fallout is widening as the NAB’s Curtis LeGeyt urges broadcaster mergers to gain scale, federal regulators probe the shift of games to streaming, and fans face at least $575 in 2025 to watch every game while the NFL targets new deals before the 2026 season begins.