Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Media & Entertainment Law Blogs -> Sports Biz

Media & Entertainment Law

: Sports Biz

NFL Settles with Comcast; Extends Deals With Fox, CBS

The spring owners meeting of the NFL has certainly been busy this year. So far, in two days, the owners have approved and announced an carriage agreement with Comcast for the NFL Network, finally ending a contentious and interminable negotiation and legal battle, and extensions of television deals with Fox and CBS for an additional two years.

The two agreements are linked since part of what brought Comcast to closing is the addition of the NFL's red zone look-in package providing live look-ins on every game being played all day. That required an agreement from Fox and CBS, so it was an opportune to negotiate an extension of their pacts. Comcast will put the NFL Network on the same Digital Classic level of service as the Major League Baseball Network for a fee which is substantially below the 70 cents that the NFL had been demanding. Both parties will dismiss all pending litigation and regulatory actions. By finally settling with Comcast, the NFL Network can now reasonably expect the other major cable networks to start falling in line soon, since most of them take their cues from deals cut by Comcast.

The CBS and Fox deals were extending for an additional two years through the 2013 season. The networks will be paying an increase fee of 3-5%. CBS will carry the 2013 Super Bowl and Fox will get the one in 2014.

Full post as published by Sports Biz on May 20, 2009 (boomark / email).