Continuing a tradition that dates back to 1994 when it shocked the TV world by purchasing NFL rights for a total of $1.58 billion through 1998, Fox Sports will keep the NFL and remain home of the National Football Conference for a hefty price of at least $1 billion per year.
As with NBC and CBS, this deal runs nine seasons starting in 2014. Fox will air three Super Bowls beginning with Super LI (51) in 2017 and run every three years. It will end the rotation in the new contract in February 2023.
Fox will receive “TV Everywhere” rights allowing for streaming on tablets. Verizon currently has rights to stream on mobile phones.
In addition, expanded flex scheduling will allow Fox to carry an occasional AFC game in the 4:15 p.m. Eastern time national window.
Fox will continue to carry the NFC Championship every year. It will lose one Divisional Round playoff game to NBC.
Here’s the press release:
FOX SPORTS MEDIA GROUP REACHES LONG-TERM RIGHTS AGREEMENT WITH NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Nine-Year Deal Keeps Prestigious NFC Package on FOX Sports Through 2022 Season
Network to Broadcast Super Bowls LI (51), LIV (54) & LVII (57)New York & Los Angeles – FOX Sports has served as America’s No. 1 NFL network since 1994, anchored by one of the top properties in the history of television, the prestigious Sunday afternoon NFC rights package. The network looks to continue that amazing streak through the 2022 season after agreeing to a new nine-year multi-platform media rights agreement with the National Football League beginning in 2014. The announcement was made today by David Hill, Chairman, FOX Sports Media Group. The rights agreement between FOX and the NFL currently in-force runs through the 2013 season.
In addition to remaining the network home of the NFC regular-season package, the new agreement also awards FOX Sports with postseason rights to NFC Wild Card games, Divisional Playoff games, the NFC Championship Game and three Super Bowls (LI, LIV & LVII). The agreement also includes fully authenticated “TV everywhere” rights, which enables FOX Sports to offer games it broadcasts and other NFL on FOX related content on FOXSports.com, tablets and other digital platforms, excluding mobile phones.
“The National Football League is the greatest television property in the world and we are thrilled that it remains the cornerstone of FOX Sports and the FOX Network well into the next decade,” said Hill. “Everyone at FOX Sports looks forward to presenting the NFL, television’s ultimate reality programming, providing our viewers with the finest pregame, game and postgame coverage possible for many years to come.”
Flexible scheduling, which the NFL initiated to ensure quality matchups in all Sunday time slots and as it relates to FOX gives NFC teams a chance to play their way into the late-afternoon 4:15 PM ET window, expands in 2014. Included in the changes is a limited ability for the NFL to move games between FOX and CBS that would bring regional games to wider audiences. Further details on enhanced flexible scheduling are still in development.
This marks the fourth media rights deal between FOX Sports and the NFL dating back to the landmark agreement struck in December 1993 that essentially solidified FOX as a major broadcast network.
The NFL on FOX has set viewership records in each of the last two seasons, and is currently on pace for a third straight. AMERICA’S GAME OF THE WEEK, the 4:15 PM ET window on FOX’s doubleheader Sundays, is television’s No. 1 show in any day-part, in households and across every major male and adult demographic. The strength of FOX’s NFC package has enabled the FOX NFL SUNDAY pregame show to rank as America’s No. 1 pregame show for 18 straight seasons and THE OT postgame show often ranks among prime time’s top-20 programs.
CBS Corporation’s announcement on the NFL extension is next.
