BURBANK, Ca. (WRIC/AP) — The Walt Disney Company and National Football League have reached a deal that will bring big increases to football coverage on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+.
The companies signed a 10-year contract with changes set to begin in 2023.
One of the changes will be the return of the Super Bowl on ABC in 2026 and 2030. The broadcasting network has not aired the Super Bowl since 2006.
ABC will also air three Monday night football games a year throughout the 10 years. The NFL will also be adding two Saturday games that will take place during the final week of the regular season. These games will have playoff implications. They will be streamed on ABC and ESPN.
ESPN+ will be airing an exclusive international game on a Sunday morning.
With the new agreement in place, ESPN+ will be able to simultaneously air games being shown on ESPN and ABC.
According to the Associated Press, ESPN gets some flexibility in its schedule on Monday nights, with the NFL agreeing to potentially move as many as five games from Sunday, and will have three doubleheaders, up from one.
Games will continue to air on CBS, Fox, NBC as well as ESPN/ABC. ESPN’s deal was scheduled to end after 2021, while the others expired a year later, but ESPN will have a bridge deal for 2022.
The new deals expire after the 2033 schedule.
Overall, the new contract increases ESPN and ABC’s football coverage by over 35%.
