Of the various items of business the NFL considered during this week’s league’s meetings, the future of NFL Media was not among them.
Via Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal, NFL chief media and business officer Brian Rolapp said that the league’s ongoing effort to find a partner for the league’s in-house media operation didn’t come up.
As of January, ESPN and the NFL reportedly were in “advanced talks” on a deal that would give the NFL equity in ESPN, and that would give ESPN control over NFL Media. Some are concerned about the potential conflict of interest that would arise, especially if/when ESPN covers topics and/or publishes reports on topics the NFL would rather ESPN avoid.
“We’re not waiting on a deal,” Rolapp said. “We’ll continue to innovate. But the world keeps changing. That’s not a bad thing — it’s a good thing. We’ll always be patient, and we’ll continue to be, and we’re operating from a good position of strength.”
Are they though? The league has been trying to offload all of part of NFL Media for years. It’s possible the league is overvaluing the asset. It’s also possible that no one sees the upside. Beyond live regular-season games (which happen infrequently) and a Sunday morning in-season pregame show, where’s the high-dollar value? Good Morning Football, a popular morning show, is going dark for months as it moves from New York to Los Angeles. If the league truly viewed it as a key piece of the operation, would it disappear from the dial less than a month before the draft?
Some think the league is deliberately cutting costs related to NFL Media while it occupies the holding pattern that eventually will result in someone/anyone taking NFL Media off the NFL’s hands. Some who work for NFL Media think that. It’s not great for morale, and it would be good for everyone if the NFL figures out a long-term plan for NFL Media and implements it, sooner than later.
2024-03-29 13:52:39
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