After months of high-stakes waiting, the billion-dollar deal set to reshape the NFL’s media landscape has finally received its verdict. After receiving the required regulatory clearance from U.S. President Donald Trump’s Justice Department, ESPN’s bet on NFL Media is officially moving forward.

“Government regulators have approved ESPN’s billion-dollar blockbuster acquisition of top NFL Media assets, and the two sides closed the agreement late Saturday,” reporter Andrew Marchand wrote in his article for The Athletic.

Per the agreement, the NFL is acquiring a 10% stake in ESPN, which is valued at $2 billion to $3 billion. The estimated value of the deal is known today, but it was anything but clear just a year ago. In 2025, there was no firm number attached to the deal. That August, San Francisco-based sports marketing analyst Bob Dorfman explained why: with the NFL expanding its footprint internationally, the league had no obvious ceiling on its growth or value. Putting a precise figure on it, he said, was nearly impossible, aside from one certainty: it would land somewhere in the billions.

This deal quietly reshapes the media landscape. NFL Network is set to fold into ESPN’s expanding family, joining channels like ESPN2, the SEC Network, and the ACC Network under one umbrella. And in a twist only a few would have predicted, longtime rivals Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport, who were once competing daily for the same scoops, could soon find themselves sharing the same platform.

“The NFL and ESPN are pleased to announce the official closing of the sale of NFL Network and other NFL Media assets to ESPN,” the NFL and ESPN said in a joint statement to The Athletic. “With the closing, we will begin integrating NFL employees into ESPN in the months ahead. As we look to the future, NFL fans can look forward to expanded NFL programming, greater access to NFL Network, innovative Fantasy experiences, and unparalleled coverage of America’s most popular sport.”

While coverage of Super Bowl LX will remain unchanged, ESPN and NFL Network are expected to become intertwined in the future. As things stand, both networks already provide the most continuous on-air coverage of the league on TV.

The NFL’s last significant media rights deal was with Amazon Prime, when the e-commerce giant secured exclusive U.S. streaming rights to the NFL’s Thursday Night Football package. The agreement was announced in 2021 and ran from the 2022 season through 2033, with the deal worth about $1 billion per year.

This time around, the most immediate impact for viewers will be on the programming slate, where the familiar Monday Night Football doubleheaders will be scrapped in favor of a new structure. ESPN will now gain rights to license three additional NFL games per season (28 total). Seven of those games will be broadcast on the NFL Network – the three new ones and four that will shift from ESPN.

Previously, the network carried 25 games, while the NFL has taken back four games that it is expected to sell, potentially to a streaming service.

This fall, ESPN Unlimited subscribers will access the entire NFL Network at no additional cost, maintaining their $29.99 monthly subscription or through their current cable/multichannel service.

Taken together, the regulators’ green light reshapes how fans watch football.

The aftermath of the NFL-ESPN deal

Despite the deal, viewers should not expect anything dramatic when they flip on NFL Network. Instead, the noticeable changes are lined up for April, once those working under the NFL Media umbrella officially transition into ESPN.

At the same time, NFL Network, which already reaches nearly 50 million subscribers, will be integrated into ESPN’s direct-to-consumer platform. That service quietly launched last August, shortly after the partnership was first revealed, making this move feel more like a delayed handoff than a sudden switch.

“Today’s announcement paves the way for the world’s leading sports media brand and America’s most popular sport to deliver an even more compelling experience for NFL fans, in a way that only ESPN and Disney can,” Disney CEO Robert Iger said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the future of NFL RedZone is coming into clearer focus. ESPN will handle distribution of the channel to cable and satellite providers, yet the league is not letting go of the reins entirely. The NFL will still own, run, and produce RedZone while also keeping digital distribution rights.

On top of that, ESPN is gaining access to the RedZone brand itself, which opens the door for similar channels tied to college football, basketball, or other sports down the line. Along with that shift, NFL Fantasy Football is folding into ESPN Fantasy Football.

“By combining these NFL media assets with ESPN’s reach and innovation, we’re creating a premier destination for football fans,” ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement.

However, the league is holding tight to its core platforms. NFL Films, NFL Plus, NFL.com, all 32 team websites, the NFL Podcast Network, and the NFL FAST Channel will remain under league control.

As a result, fans get traditional cable, bundled services, and free streaming options side by side, which means more choice without losing familiarity.