NFL to renegotiate $111B TV rights deal as early as 2026

The NFL is already exploring early renegotiation of its $111B TV deal. As per reports, last year, 72 of the 100 most-watched programs were NFL games. The NFL might not wait until the end of the decade to revisit its massive television deals.

In an interview, Commissioner Roger Goodell revealed that the league could look to renegotiate its media rights as early as 2026, well before the current opt-out window. The NFL’s existing 11-year, $111 billion contract, signed in 2021, allows the league to exit most partnerships after the 2029–30 season, with Disney’s rights extending one year further.

The NFL could begin renegotiating its media rights deals as soon as 2026

Goodell noted that the booming value of sports media and the success of other leagues could prompt earlier talks.

“I think our partners would want to sit down and talk to us at any time, and we continue to dialogue with them,” Goodell told CNBC. “Obviously, it’s not going to happen this year. But it could happen as early as next year. That could happen.”

Any move to renegotiate early would need agreement from all five existing partners, Disney, Comcast’s NBCUniversal, Paramount, Amazon, and Fox. When reports of the potential talks surfaced, none of the companies provided Reuters with a comment.

For broadcasters, the idea presents both opportunities and challenges. Extending rights would lock in the NFL, still one of the strongest draws for live television. But it would also come with steeper costs at a time when many media companies are already focused on tightening budgets.

“There probably will be companies that don’t exist today that will merge to create new competitive bidders,” former CBS Sports President Neal Pilson, who founded a sports media consulting firm said in 2024. “Other deals, like the NBA, are a data point, but the NFL is its own marketplace. The programming is the honey. It’s all driven by the popularity of the NFL."

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