ESPN owns NFL Nework; now what?
For years, the NFL had tried to unload NFL Network onto a broadcast partner. ESPN eventually bit, giving the league a 10-percent stake in the four-letter network in exchange for NFLN and other media assets. The transition happened on Wednesday, April 1.
So now what? It remains to be seen. NFL Network will have, at least for 2026, its own draft coverage.
And all NFLN employees with remaining time on their contracts have become ESPN employees. When those contracts expire, all bets are off. As it relates to programming, NFLN becomes a spillover option.
Already, NFL Network will handle a pair of UFL games that were due to be televised by one of the ESPN networks. NFL Network could, in theory, become a landing spot for other content, such as college football games. It'll be up to ESPN at this point.
Regardless, NFLN provides another platform for games and/or shows that otherwise would be on ESPN. Then there's the issue of on-air talent. On Thursday, Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported that ESPN is interested in retaining NFLN insider Ian Rapoport, whose contract expires on April 30.