ESPN is reportedly interested in making a big splash before their launch their standalone app later this year. According to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, ESPN is interested in purchasing NFL Media which assets include the NFL Network and NFL Redzone for a whopping $2 billion.
Marchand spoke about the importance of the NFL for ESPN.
“When you look at Netflix and Amazon, they don’t necessarily need the NFL. Those businesses aren’t based off the NFL,” Marchand added. “So if you’re ESPN, you get that relationship even deeper for the long-term with the NFL. I think it makes some sense, and it could be a game-changer.”
He went on to explain the historical significance of ESPN purchasing NFL Media.
“When we look back in 10, 15 years, if this deal goes down, this could be a very significant point for ESPN’s growth,” Marchand said. “We’re really in a full streaming world, and I think it’s pretty significant whether it happens in the next few months or not.” With cable’s influence waning, ESPN needs to actively court subscribers rather than rely on bundled packages. NFL Media’s ready-made content could be the hook that keeps fans clicking “subscribe.”
Fans were not thrilled with the news of ESPN potentially acquiring the NFL Network.
“NFL Network quality was already down now it’s gonna be dead” said one fan.
“This is possibly the worst news for NFL fans. @espn will turn this into garbage in a heartbeat” commented another fan.