Sources said that Disney' believes it deserves the best prime-time regular-season slateGETTY IMAGES
A "billion-dollar battle for 'Sunday Night Football' is emerging" between incumbent NBC and ABC/ESPN as the NFL "moves toward agreements on its new TV deals that could be completed by the end of the year," according to Andrew Marchand of the N.Y. POST. It has been "known for a long time that Disney/ABC/ESPN would be very aggressive for more NFL." Sources said that the "pitch Disney is making to the NFL is that it currently pays the most so it deserves the best prime-time regular-season schedule." Sources also said that Disney "wants to acquire two separate NFL packages." Marchand notes ESPN currently spends $2B per year for an "inferior Monday Night schedule and no Super Bowls," while NBC "writes a check for a mere" $950M for "SNF." ESPN’s current "MNF" deal "concludes after next season, while NBC, CBS and Fox' NFL TV contracts will be completed following" the Super Bowl in '23. Meanwhile, sources said that it is "increasingly likely that if ESPN re-ups with MLB," it "will try to center a package around 'Sunday Night Baseball,' the Home Run Derby and the first round of potential expanded playoffs." This "would mean the weekly Monday and Wednesday national games would likely be sacrificed." ESPN "could potentially have more key late-season games in a new deal," but the amount of games it airs "could go down from around 100 to 75" (N.Y. POST, 11/3).
