FOX Sports is prepared to part with a lot of money to keep its Sunday NFL television package.
According to Lucas Shaw, Gerry Smith, and Christopher Palmeri of Bloomberg, FOX is prepared to pay as much as $2 billion per year to retain Sunday NFL TV rights. That’s nearly double the $1.08 billion the package costs the company now, and more than ESPN pays annually for “Monday Night Football.”
FOX has long held the Sunday NFC package, and other networks are interested in some of the games it traditionally airs. The network’s current deal runs through the 2022 season, and FOX CEO Lachlan Murdoch confirmed that preliminary talks between the league and TV partners have already begun.
It’s further evidence that record sums should be expected in the next round of TV negotiations. There may also be more competition, as networks that don’t currently hold rights may try to get involved going forward.
FOX has held its NFC package since 1994. The network’s success in obtaining NFL TV rights put it on the map and made it a rival to the other major networks, so don’t expect FOX to let those games go without a big fight.
