Australian pay-TV operator Foxtel will continue its coverage of major US sports leagues and competitions after renewing its carriage deal with international sports broadcaster ESPN.
The new multi-year agreement sees Foxtel and its Kayo streaming service retain rights to ESPN’s portfolio of US sport rights, including basketball’s NBA and WNBA, American football’s NFL, baseball’s MLB, mixed martial arts’ UFC, and ice hockey’s NHL.
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The rights include major US sports events, such as the NFL’s flagship Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, MLB World Series, the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, and FIBA international basketball tournaments.
Along with live sports, meanwhile, Foxtel and Kayo will also continue to show ESPN’s original programming, including its flagship studio shows such as SportsCenter, The Pat McAfee Show, NBA Today, and First Take, as well as its 30 for 30 documentary series.
The extension builds on 23 years of programming agreements between the two, with overall collaboration having started in 2002.
In addition, a new element of the deal will see Foxtel Business become the exclusive distributor of ESPN for commercial businesses, including in licensed venues. Foxtel Media will also continue to provide ESPN with advertising opportunities on Kayo Sports.
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By GlobalDataFoxtel Group chief executive Patrick Delany has said: “We have enjoyed a wonderful, world-leading relationship with ESPN that spans more than two decades – a remarkable achievement in the dynamic world of media. This renewal combines ESPN’s premium coverage of the best US sports with our unrivalled portfolio, including the AFL, NRL, and cricket, cementing Kayo Sports and Foxtel as the ultimate destination for Australian sports fans.
“This agreement not only continues our relationship with ESPN but confirms our commitment to offering sports fans Australia’s most diverse, dynamic, and comprehensive sports experience.”
The carriage deal adds to Foxtel’s broad portfolio of sports rights in its home market, including the Australian Football League, motorsport's Formula 1, Australia’s National Rugby League, English rugby league’s Super League, and Australian domestic cricket.
The broadcaster also holds rights to a whole swathe of top-tier international cricket, such as the Indian Premier League T20 competition through 2027, and operates the popular Kayo OTT service, which achieved record viewership in 2024.
The deal comes four months after DAZN, the global sports streaming service, completed its acquisition of Foxtel, which will retain its own brand identity.
The deal was first announced in late December and represents a franchise value of A$3.4 billion (US$2.2 billion at the time) for Foxtel. It includes the repayment of A$706 million in shareholder loans (A$578 million from News Corp, A$128 million from Telstra) as well as News Corp gaining a 6% minority equity shareholding in DAZN, and Telstra gaining 3%.
The major media company recently made significant numbers of staff redundant as part of a restructuring process following the formal takeover.
Foxtel has moved to consolidate its portfolio as it faces increasing competition from rival broadcaster Nine Network and its streaming service Stan Sports, which secured premium soccer rights, including the English Premier League, from outgoing Optus Sport in June.
As well as the English Premier League domestic competition, Stan has acquired Optus’ rights to England’s FA Cup knockout competition, the upcoming UEFA Women’s European Championships, Japan’s J-League, South Korea’s K League, and North America’s National Women’s Soccer League.
Those rights add to Stan’s already burgeoning sports rights portfolio, which includes rugby union’s English Premiership, southern hemisphere Rugby Championship, and SVNS, tennis’ Davis Cup, and motor racing’s Formula E, among other properties.
For ESPN, meanwhile, this new agreement comes shortly after parent company Disney announced a wide-ranging deal with the NFL that will see it take control of the league’s key media assets in exchange for a 10% stake in ESPN.
The deal has two parts – one aspect will see Disney-owned ESPN own and operate NFL Network, the 24/7 channel run by the league, and NFL Fantasy Football, which will merge with ESPN’s fantasy football product.
The broadcaster will also distribute NFL Redzone, the channel featuring live-action cut-ins as teams approach the opposition’s end zone, to pay-TV operators, with ownership and digital distribution rights remaining with the NFL.
The second part will see the NFL grant ESPN rights to air three additional NFL games on NFL Network, which already carries seven games. Another four games previously aired by ESPN will also be shifted to NFL Network to boost its programming.
The agreements are non-binding and are subject to the parties’ negotiations and various approvals. Both owners and players will have to sign off on any deal due to the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, which includes revenue sharing.
