Hosko
07-02-2005, 01:54 AM
AP News Feed
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Commissioner Paul Tagliabue sent a veiled warning to ABC/ESPN on Friday that the league might get involved in creating a new sports TV network.
Eagliabue on state of NFL
Commissioner Paul Tagliabue comments on the state of the NFL, the Super Bowl and the NFL labor situation.
While the NFL already has extended agreements with Fox and CBS for its Sunday afternoon TV rights, negotiations on the prime-time packages with ABC and ESPN have stalled.
"We're giving very serious consideration to being part of the launch of another major sports network on cable and satellite television," Tagliabue said during his annual state of the NFL address at the Super Bowl.
A league source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Fox is interested in the prime-time games for the new sports network, which would compete with ESPN. The league wants to add Thursday night and Saturday night games, although not for the entire season.
"We're also talking to other television networks and companies about the packages we have to sell," Tagliabue said, "including the Thursday night/Saturday package we're creating. And there's strong interest in other companies, some of whom already have contracts with us and some who don't."
At one point, Fox was interested in buying the entire NFL package. But it settled for renewing its NFC Sunday afternoon rights for six years and $4.3 billion last November; CBS kept the AFC Sunday package for $3.7 billion. Both have agreed to be flexible so the NFL could move some better matchups from Sunday afternoon to prime time.
Tagliabue said ESPN/ABC "have tremendous interest in staying with the NFL, both on cable television and broadcast television. We have an interest in them staying with us. We have a disagreement about what the rights fees should be."
Neither Fox nor ABC returned calls for comment.
The current deals expire after the 2005 season.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Commissioner Paul Tagliabue sent a veiled warning to ABC/ESPN on Friday that the league might get involved in creating a new sports TV network.
Eagliabue on state of NFL
Commissioner Paul Tagliabue comments on the state of the NFL, the Super Bowl and the NFL labor situation.
While the NFL already has extended agreements with Fox and CBS for its Sunday afternoon TV rights, negotiations on the prime-time packages with ABC and ESPN have stalled.
"We're giving very serious consideration to being part of the launch of another major sports network on cable and satellite television," Tagliabue said during his annual state of the NFL address at the Super Bowl.
A league source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Fox is interested in the prime-time games for the new sports network, which would compete with ESPN. The league wants to add Thursday night and Saturday night games, although not for the entire season.
"We're also talking to other television networks and companies about the packages we have to sell," Tagliabue said, "including the Thursday night/Saturday package we're creating. And there's strong interest in other companies, some of whom already have contracts with us and some who don't."
At one point, Fox was interested in buying the entire NFL package. But it settled for renewing its NFC Sunday afternoon rights for six years and $4.3 billion last November; CBS kept the AFC Sunday package for $3.7 billion. Both have agreed to be flexible so the NFL could move some better matchups from Sunday afternoon to prime time.
Tagliabue said ESPN/ABC "have tremendous interest in staying with the NFL, both on cable television and broadcast television. We have an interest in them staying with us. We have a disagreement about what the rights fees should be."
Neither Fox nor ABC returned calls for comment.
The current deals expire after the 2005 season.