The National Football League announced today that its broadcast and cable sports television partners extended their current rights deals with the league through 2033, and for the first time ever, a streaming service will have exclusive rights to an NFL package.
That service is Amazon Prime Video, and it will replace Fox and NFL Network as the new home of Thursday Night Football, starting in 2023.
Another significant piece of news made official today is that ABC will rejoin the Super Bowl rotation in 2026, alongside NBC, CBS and Fox, broadcasting the big game every four years. This will be the first time that ABC will air a Super Bowl since 2006; the network last had Monday Night Football in 2005, though it did simulcast three of ESPN’s games last season.
Speaking of ESPN, “The Worldwide Leader in Sports” will continue to broadcast Monday Night Football. ESPN Monday Night Football will simulcast multiple games each season on broadcast sibling ABC. The new Monday Night Football deal starts next year, with the 2022 season, while the other deals take effect a year later.
Fox will continue to air NFC games on Sunday afternoons, while CBS keeps rights to the AFC on Sunday afternoons. Fox will have the Super Bowl in 2024, 2028 and 2032, while CBS will have the Super Bowl in 2023, 2027 and 2031.
NBC holds onto Sunday Night Football, prime time television’s No. 1 show. The network will also have the Super Bowl in 2015, 2029 and 2033.
On the streaming front, all ABC and ESPN games will be simulcast on ESPN+ (ESPN+ subscribers will also stream one international series game exclusively every season). Fox’s Tubi will deliver NFL programming on digital platforms and NBCU’s Peacock will have “an exclusive feed” of a select number of games.
“These new media deals will provide our fans even greater access to the games they love. We’re proud to grow our partnerships with the most innovative media companies in the market,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “Along with our recently completed labor agreement with the NFLPA, these distribution agreements bring an unprecedented era of stability to the League and will permit us to continue to grow and improve our game.”
