NFL fans warned change is coming with $2bn deal confirmed as $210million host hits out at ESPN

Feb 1, 2026 - 13:30

ESPN’s $2 billion NFL takeover has been confirmed by government regulators.

The broadcast giant will take over NFL Network, NFL Fantasy and RedZone, while the league is receiving a 10 percent equity stake.

ESPN and the NFL have entered into a lucrative partnership[/caption]

“With the closing, we will begin integrating NFL employees into ESPN in the months ahead,” ESPN and the NFL said in a joint statement. “As we look to the future, NFL fans can look forward to expanded NFL programming, greater access to NFL Network, innovative Fantasy experiences and unparalleled coverage of America’s most popular sport.”

ESPN’s purchase was announced last summer, with fans concerned about its impact on RedZone, in particular.

The massively unpopular decision to allow adverts on the program was blamed on the network, but viewers were told that changes would not be felt until NFL Media becomes part of ESPN in April.

Its content portfolio, which has nearly 50 million subscribers, will be included in ESPN’s direct-to-consumer product.

The NFL will continue to own, operate and produce the channel.

ESPN will get the rights to the RedZone brand, opening the door to a college football or basketball spinoff.

NBC launched a successful version called GoldZone for the Paris Olympics and long-term NFL host will return at Milan Cortina.

NFL Fantasy Football will merge with ESPN’s own product, which will now be the league’s official offering.

In a potential hint at what’s to come, popular Inside the NBA host Charles Barkley has hit out at ESPN, which took over the show from TNT Sports for the 2025-26 season.

“We’ve complained, we’ve only been on ESPN four times in three months,” he told Dan Le Batard of himself and co-hosts Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson. “I don’t like that at all.

Charles Barkley was dismayed when TNT Sports lost its NBA rights[/caption]

The merger will lead to questions over fantasy players losing their records

“So they’re gonna start making up some of the days. But we only worked one day in December, that was Christmas Day… I wish we had worked more.

“The guys at ESPN have been great but we will know more when we get schedule heavy the last half of the season.”

Inside the NBA returned on January 31 after Barkley’s comments and was only on air for around 28 minutes before cutting to local news.

Chuck does not want to appear on ESPN’s other offerings, which will likely be expected of NFL Network hosts from April.

“What I was talking about working all the time, because I love watching basketball – I’m not going to do all these damn shows,” he explained.

“I’m not gonna be on ESPN One, Two, Three, Deportes, Nacho, Echo, whatever they call it. I’m not gonna be doing all that. But I wish we had been on more during the first half of the season.”

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Barkley, who is on a 10-year, $210 million contract that he signed in 2022, later added: “I’m 100 percent retired, but if I can do something just a little bit stupid so they have to fire me, they’ll have to pay me for the whole seven years.”

Like it or not, change is coming to the NFL media space for the 2026 season.

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