NFLPA Assistant Exec Dir of External Affairs George Atallah noted the union in the coming months may "reach out to some networks executives" to find out what they are "planning in terms of the changing landscape of broadcasting." The current CBA between the NFL and the union expires in '21, while the current TV deals expire the following year. Attalah, appearing on NBCSN's "PFT," said that timeline would "seem to favor the players." Atallah: "We know that the TV networks are looking at the changing landscape of how people consume live sports, people consume all sorts of content. The players are no different. We obviously get 55% of television revenue, so it’s in our interest to also understand what the league office is doing to try to maximize that revenue long-term." NBC's Mike Florio wondered if ESPN, which has undergone severe cuts in recent weeks, will "even be able to match what they've been doing for the past several years for 'Monday Night Football'" by '22. Atallah said the players are in "this weird position of benefitting the most you can argue from the television contracts, but also not having as much data as the people who negotiate those contracts." Atallah: "What do those deals look like? What do they contemplate long-term with such changing landscape of how consumers are taking up content in sports? And what do those rights fees look like? We don't have all the answers right now." He added it is something that the union wants to "get more information on as we get closer to the expiration, not just for the CBA but of the TV contracts and we hope that the league office and those who negotiate these deals will treat the players as partners because we can come to the table." Atallah: "We can come to the table to the TV networks unified" ("PFT," NBCSN, 5/8).
