Murdoch: ‘No substantive discussion’ between Fox, NFL on media rights

Credit: © Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

After Disney told investors last week that ESPN and the NFL had not entered any discussions regarding an early media rights renewal, it appears Fox is on the same page.

During an earnings call on Monday morning, Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch told investors the network has not yet engaged the NFL in media rights negotiations, according to Brian Steinberg of Variety. The NFL was hoping to negotiate new deals with its broadcast partners this offseason, securing higher rights fees now in return for eliminating its exit option at the end of the decade. It appears increasingly unlikely that those deals will come to fruition prior to the upcoming season.

The news from Murdoch comes shortly after the Wall Street Journal published a bombshell report detailing a February dinner in which Fox Corporation patriarch Rupert Murdoch asked President Donald Trump to look into the NFL’s media rights practices as more games move from traditional television to streaming. Following the dinner, both the FCC and DOJ launched separate investigations into sports fragmentation, particularly targeting the NFL. Many observers have credited the federal pressure for delaying the NFL’s original intentions to strike new TV deals this offseason.

Of course, the Journal report has also led to speculation that the NFL could be upset at Fox for the network’s apparent effort to derail negotiations. In response to that sentiment, Lachlan Murdoch told investors, “There is no tension really with the NFL.” The CEO continued that there’s a desire from his network to broaden its relationship with the NFL, but it would have to come at the right price for shareholders.