Now that the sale of the XFL is official, the new ownership group is not wasting any time. Alpha Acquico LLC won’t have the keys to the XFL until August 21st when the ownership group lead by The Rock and Dany Garcia take over. That doesn’t mean they can’t start talking to broadcast partners.
A report by Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports says the XFL and Fox Sports are already in talks about a potential TV deal.
“Johnson’s investor group agreed to buy the XFL for $15 million. As with the previous XFL, Fox Sports is interested in a possible TV rights deal, sources said. “
We reported earlier in court filings that out all the broadcast partners of the XFL 2.0. FOX was the one willing to make a deal with any new potential ownership group. Getting a TV rights deal in place is the first and most crucial step to the relaunch of the XFL.
A report by Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic quotes a source close to the negotiations, also as saying.
“Media discussions are already starting up informally and will start to ramp up over the next few weeks,”
A TV deal is the key to a 2021 XFL season. Will, anyone, try and put live sports on TV, in a post COVID world at this time. This uncertainly has some XFL insiders concerned.
“I don’t think playing next season is realistic but we’ll see how we progress,” the source said. “Covid (is) still an issue for everyone.”
Kaplan says that talks will be ongoing and, most likely, the first order of business.
“The incoming owners plan a round of talks with prospective media partners in the coming weeks, a source close to the new group said, signaling that ESPN and Fox Sports’ existing contracts from earlier this year may not carry over.”
Fox is not the only player in the broadcast game. According to McCarthy’s report. DAZN could be interested in the XFL’s broadcast rights. DAZN is a live and on-demand streaming service.
“But before the pandemic wreaked financial havoc, DAZN was rumored to be in the mix for more global NFL game rights. DAZN could see XFL as a cheaper, less risky way into pro football.”
This TV deal will be a fluid situation for weeks, but the fact The Rock and Dany Garica already have broadcast relationships with every significant media player in the world. Those relationships should help the XFL land a TV deal.
In 2020, who would you rather have a seat at the business table with Vince McMahon or The Rock? The Harvard Business School has a case study on the success of The Rock and Dany Garcia. The XFL ship is in good hands.
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