By SDCN Staff
(BUSINESS WIRE)–ESPN and the NFL have reached new licensing agreements, extending ESPN’s NFL Draft rights and, separately, adding NFL programming and content to ESPN’s upcoming Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) service, as well as to Disney+.
The agreement also includes the opportunity for sports fans to bundle ESPN’s DTC service with NFL+ Premium.
The multi-year NFL Draft licensing agreement builds upon ESPN’s rich history surrounding the event over the past 46 years, as ESPN was the first network to televise the selection process in 1980. Beginning with the 2026 NFL Draft, Disney+ and Hulu will also stream ESPN, ABC, and ESPN Deportes’ trio of Draft presentations. All offerings will be available on ESPN’s DTC service. Additional alternate NFL Draft presentations from ESPN will be available on the same streaming platforms, as will a new daily show dedicated to the NFL Draft. The new show, which will air on ESPN2 most days, will launch the day following the Super Bowl and continue through that year’s draft.
ESPN and ABC will each produce telecasts for Rounds 1-3 on Thursday and Friday—a staple of ESPN’s presentation since 2019. On Saturday, ESPN will continue to air Rounds 4-7, with ABC simulcasting the network’s coverage.
ESPN can add other alternate telecasts across streaming platforms for Rounds 1-7. Premier football shows, College GameDay and NFL Live, will continue to be on-site from the NFL Draft. ESPN Radio will continue its live broadcast of the NFL Draft.
Separately, ESPN and the NFL have reached an agreement to expand the NFL experience across ESPN’s DTC service and Disney+. The agreement includes rights for additional NFL content for ESPN as well as robust interactive features to deepen the experience for fans. ESPN’s DTC offering will also stream select out-of-market NFL preseason games during the 2025 and 2026 seasons. ESPN will also be able to sell and bundle NFL+ Premium, the League’s DTC service that launched in 2022, with ESPN’s DTC service, which gives fans the ability to watch NFL Network and NFL RedZone through the NFL+ Premium offering. Additional rights and features that ESPN will offer include:
Highlights for ESPN’s new, innovative, and personalized SportsCenter For You, and the industry-leading ESPN Fantasy Football platform.
Fans can utilize the new ESPN App multiview feature while watching ESPN’s NFL games and shows through the ESPN App, such as the traditional Monday Night Football telecast and MNF with Peyton and Eli at the same time, or multiple games when MNF has two games on the same night.
Deeper customization with enhanced interactive features that engage fans watching and following the NFL, including the ability to view personalized ESPN Fantasy Football team performance, legalized sports betting information, and bet tracking, and integrated games stats on their connected television or mobile device.
Exclusive to ESPN DTC subscribers, a video-on-demand Monday Night Football recap.
Additional NFL content on Disney+, including the potential for select NFL simulcasts for Disney+ subscribers and the inclusion of incremental highlight rights within shows like Vibe Check and SportsCenter+.
For the first time, ESPN will offer its full suite of networks and services directly to fans, along with an enhanced ESPN App that integrates game stats, legalized sports betting information, fantasy sports, commerce, multiview options, and a personalized SportsCenter For You. Designed to give fans more choice, flexibility, and access to all of ESPN, these new features and functionality will be available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a traditional pay TV package.
