Posted
9:16 AM
by Gene
ESPN and the NFL have agreed to broad terms on a new media rights deal that will be worth nearly $2 billion per year. Specific numbers still are difficult to confirm, but multiple sources say ESPN has told the NFL that it will increase its annual rights fee by 65% to 70%%, which means it will pay the league a record fee, between $1.8 billion and $1.9 billion a year.Do I smell collusion -- as in collusion to keep the CABLE MONOPOLY from breaking up?P. S. This means there will be NO lockout; SLIME and SUMNER and BRIAN ROBBER will find billions more of our money to burn (using FANTASY FOOTBALL as an excuse, natch), and the sponsors' CEOs will pull their Chevy Chase act in the luxury boxes as never before. Only a few shareholders (and cable-TV-subscribing turnips) may suffer.