ESPN Signs Multi-Year Deal To Extend NFL Draft Rights & Adds Content To Disney+

August 6, 2025 Roger Palmer

Disney has announced that it has just signed a brand new licensing agreement with the NFL to extend ESPN’s NFL Draft rights and, separately, add NFL programming and content to ESPN’s upcoming Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) service, as well as to Disney+. The agreement also includes the opportunity for fans to bundle ESPN’s DTC service with NFL+ Premium.

Earlier today, Disney also announced that the NFL had become a 10% stakeholder in ESPN as part of a deal to bring the NFL Network and other assets into ESPN.

This separate multi-year NFL Draft licensing agreement builds upon ESPN’s rich history surrounding the event over the past 46 years, as ESPN was the first network to televise the selection process in 1980. Beginning with the 2026 NFL Draft, Disney+ and Hulu will also stream ESPN, ABC, and ESPN Deportes’ trio of Draft presentations. All offerings will be available on ESPN’s DTC service.

Additional alternate NFL Draft presentations from ESPN will be available on the same streaming platforms, as will a new daily show dedicated to the NFL Draft. The new show, which will air on ESPN2 most days, will launch the day following the Super Bowl and continue through that year’s Draft. More highlights:

ESPN and ABC will each produce telecasts for Rounds 1-3 on Thursday and Friday—a staple of ESPN’s presentation since 2019. On Saturday, ESPN will continue to air Rounds 4-7, with ABC simulcasting the network’s coverage.
ESPN can add other alternate telecasts across streaming platforms for Rounds 1-7.
Premier football shows, College GameDay and NFL Live, will continue to be on-site from the NFL Draft.
ESPN Radio will continue its live broadcast of the NFL Draft.

Separately, ESPN and the NFL have reached an agreement to expand the NFL experience across ESPN’s DTC service and Disney+. The agreement includes rights for additional NFL content for ESPN as well as robust interactive features to deepen the experience for fans. ESPN’s DTC offering will also stream select out-of-market NFL preseason games during the 2025 and 2026 seasons. ESPN will also be able to sell and bundle NFL+ Premium, the League’s DTC service that launched in 2022, with ESPN’s DTC service, which gives fans the ability to watch NFL Network and NFL RedZone through the NFL+ Premium offering. Additional rights and features that ESPN will offer include:

Highlights for ESPN’s new, innovative, and personalised SportsCenter For You, and the industry-leading ESPN Fantasy Football platform.
Fans can utilise the new ESPN App multiview feature while watching ESPN’s NFL games and shows through the ESPN App, such as the traditional Monday Night Football telecast and MNF with Peyton and Eli at the same time, or multiple games when MNF has two games on the same night.
Deeper customisation with enhanced interactive features that engage fans watching and following the NFL, including the ability to view personalised ESPN Fantasy Football team performance, legalised sports betting information and bet tracking, and integrated game stats on their connected television or mobile device.
Exclusive to ESPN DTC subscribers, a video-on-demand Monday Night Football
Additional NFL content on Disney+, including the potential for select NFL simulcasts for Disney+ subscribers and the inclusion of incremental highlight rights within shows like Vibe Check and SportsCenter+.

This new deal continues to expand on the partnership between Disney and the NFL, while also bringing Disney+ into the fold with more sports programming.

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