NFL & ESPN Officially Close Deal Giving Disney Control of NFL Network

After months of reports about the deal, the NFL announced that it has officially handed control of the NFL Network and other media assets to Disney via ESPN. NFL Closes Deal to Give ESPN Control of NFL Network Reports of the ESPN and NFL deal first broke in August 2025, shortly following news of Disney striking an agreement with the NFL to air the Super Bowl on ESPN for the very first time — a negotiation four years in the making. On October 22, the NFL announced it had approved the media deal and was just waiting on government approval. That approval and the official closure of the NFL Network sale was announced in a joint statement from the NFL and ESPN: The NFL and ESPN are pleased to announce the official closing of the sale of NFL Network and other NFL Media assets to ESPN....