Report: ESPN closing in on deal to potentially acquire NFL Red Zone

ESPN and the NFL are closing in on a deal for “The Worldwide Leader in Sports” to acquire NFL Media, per Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. Marchand reported that the deal could see ESPN acquire properties such as the NFL Network, the seven regular season games that currently air on the league-owned network and the Red Zone channel.

Both sides are “inside the 5-yard line” on a deal, Marchand wrote: “This could be a boon for ESPN’s app, as well as in its future negotiations with cable and operators for its slew of networks. It could upsell Red Zone in the app, as well as demand more from operators (like YouTube TV, Fubo or cable systems) to continue to offer the service on its platform every Sunday in the fall.”

The potential deal comes as ESPN is soon to make its programming available in a direct-to-customer product. ESPN has coined it as “The Next Era.” It is set to cost $29.99 a month.

The Red Zone channel launched in 2009 and shows every touchdown and key play from every game around the league. Scott Hanson has hosted the show since its inception. Amid speculation that he could be moving into a different role or with a new company, Hanson announced in May that he is returning to Red Zone in 2025.

Scott Hanson confirms Red Zone plans for 2025

“100 days from now = NFL RedZone,” Hanson posted on X. “For those wondering: Yes, I *will* be there. We have A LOT of Touchdowns to watch together!”

Brian Jones of On3 spoke to Hanson before the NFL Draft in April. He teased what fans can expect from the show this upcoming season.

“I always say this about Red Zone, I and the NFL Red Zone staff are like professional golfers,” Hanson told On3. “We are on the PGA Tour, but if we want to be excellent, if we want to be Tiger Woods, we got to shave a few strokes off of our game, minor little adjustments. We’re not trying to reinvent our swing.

“People love the show, we love doing the show. We are good at doing the show, but we want to be excellent. So, let’s find the little things we can tweak in our production to make it a better experience for the audience. While I can’t name specifics for you right now, we’ll find those things and get a little bit better to make sure that what people have called the greatest football show on TV stays that way.”