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NFL
Pablo Torre: Fox is the ‘little guy’ in NFL rights battle
TL;DR
Fox Sports is facing significant challenges in retaining NFL broadcasting rights due to financial constraints compared to tech giants like Amazon and Google. The ongoing negotiations are influenced by federal scrutiny of the NFL's practices and meetings between Rupert Murdoch and Donald Trump.
Key points
- Fox Sports is negotiating NFL broadcasting rights.
- Fox's market cap is under $25 billion.
- Amazon and Google have market caps of $2.93 trillion and $4.83 trillion, respectively.
- Federal government is investigating NFL's anticompetitive practices.
- Rupert Murdoch's meetings with Donald Trump may influence negotiations.
Mentioned in this story
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Credit: Pablo Torre Finds Out, imagn images
The relationship between Fox Sports and the NFL is perhaps the most intriguing element of the ongoing story surrounding the rights negotiations that will reshape the modern media world.
Fox is leading the charge to keep NFL games on broadcast television. And it’s probably no conicidence that the federal government’s interest in anticompetitive practices from the NFL and concerns about streaming proliferation comes alongside meetings between Fox chairman emeritus Rupert Murdoch and President of the United States Donald Trump.
But the biggest challenge facing Fox is one that is purely financial. They have far less capital to spend on NFL rights than the likes of tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Netflix. Fox’s market cap is just under $25 billion. By comparison, Amazon is worth $2.93 trillion and Google is at $4.83 trillion.
David Samson and former ESPN president John Skipper joined Pablo Torre on a recent episode of Pablo Torre Finds Outand outlined the main issue facing Fox Sports in their quest to hold on to the NFL. They are now the smallest company in contention for NFL rights.
“What Rupert Murdoch is doing here is he is signifying something very fascinating, which is he is the little guy! Fox is the little guy among all these bidders now,” Torre said.
Skipper complimented Fox on selling some of their digital assets at a high point, however he noted that it has left the company short of the valuation of the current tech giants in the marketplace. And that has now left the company shorthanded when it comes to the competition for NFL rights with companies that can spend a lot more money than they can.
“Roger is in the process of increasing the prices, potentially, to where nobody can afford to buy NFL packages except Amazon, Netflix, YouTube, etc. CBS has already got the most problem, but they’ve already been to them and they’re in a position where they can’t give up the NFL. So they’re going to pay and set the market at some 35-50% increase over the recently negotiated deals,” Skipper said.
Q&A
What financial challenges does Fox Sports face in NFL rights negotiations?
Fox Sports has a market cap of just under $25 billion, significantly less than competitors like Amazon and Google, which limits their ability to bid for NFL rights.
How does the federal government influence NFL broadcasting rights?
The federal government is investigating anticompetitive practices in the NFL, which may impact the ongoing negotiations for broadcasting rights.
Who are the major competitors for NFL broadcasting rights?
Major competitors include tech giants like Amazon, Google, and Netflix, which have significantly larger financial resources than Fox Sports.
What role does Rupert Murdoch play in Fox's NFL rights strategy?
Rupert Murdoch, Fox's chairman emeritus, is involved in discussions that may influence the company's strategy in retaining NFL broadcasting rights.