In Fox’ former configuration as 21st Century Fox, it paid a reported $1.1B in '11 to re-up with the NFLGETTY IMAGES
Fox COO John Nallen confirmed that the company is "in 'very, very early discussions' with the NFL about renewing its rights deal with the league," according to Dade Hayes of DEADLINE. Nallen yesterday at the Credit Suisse Virtual Communications Conference said investors should “get away from the press headlines of average annual value growth,” calling that coverage angle "absurd." Hayes noted in Fox’ former configuration as 21st Century Fox, it paid a reported $1.1B in '11 to re-up with the NFL at the "same time NBC, CBS and ESPN also extended their deals" in a collective $7B outlay. Those rights are set to "expire after the 2022 season." Nallen said Fox’ 54% increase from the prior deal in the '00s to the current one created "big headlines," even though “some of the other networks were up 70%.” He noted that from the last year of the old deal to the start of the new one, the increase in costs was in a "high-single-digit percentage change, far from a 54% spike." He said, "Give me the NFL, the ability to have that kind of programming. That’s where the focus should be.” He continued average annual value is a "press headline that makes it great on the sports pages" but it "really has no relevance to the business" (DEADLINE.com, 6/16).
