NFL income to go up by 7% under fresh TV deals terms – NFL News
The number of Thursday night games from the American professional football’s premier league, National Football League (NFL) shown on the television networks in the United States of America is set to increase from next year.
The increase from current number of eight games which are broadcast live on Sports TV networks has come out as a result of renewed TV deals announced by the NFL on Wednesday.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell however said that it was not decided that the number of increased games which was not ascertained yet would be marketed as a separate package to TV networks.
NFL earlier confirmed to have renewed deals for selling rights to show NFL games live with CBS, Fox and NBC, while it had already signed a revised contract with ESPN in September this year.
Under the fresh deals NFL revenues from these networks as fee for showing the games will go up 7%. The league will be able to earn $3.1 billion per year upto 2022, when the deals will run out. It is up from $1.93 billion it currently
earns per annum.
"(The deals) will ensure the NFL will stay on free television for another 11 years, which I think is great for fans," Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "It will continue to allow us to grow our audience. It's a tribute to the players
and (union chief DeMaurice) Smith for extending our labour agreement for 10 years. I think that kind of stability gave us the ability to get these contract extensions."
This is in addition to the deal that NFL has reached with ESPN for Monday Night Football. The ESPN eight-year contract which allows it to show football games on Monday night will help the NFL earn an increased income of $1.9 billion
per year, up from current $1.1 billion per year.
The current NFL television deals run out in 2013 and the fresh contracts will be valid for another nine years expiring in 2022. The term is seen as the longest for networks, and the NFL is expected to earn more than what the independent
analysts had forecast earlier.
This also reflects on the popularity of the NFL games in the states. The games account for 23 of the total 25 most-watched television programmes drawing a large number of viewers.
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