20 will give NFL access to Paramount’s CBS TV network. If approved by the U.S. regulatory agencies, the NFL’s stake in ESPN will cause Disney’s ownership to drop to 72 percent (from 80 percent), while the shares of Hearst, the other ESPN owner, will go from 20 percent to 18 percent. Similarly, Fox Corp. acquired 33 percent of Penske Entertainment (PE) to gain media rights for PE-owned IndyCar races. Fox Corp., which owns several TV channels, including FOX Network and FOX Sports, paid between $125 million and $135 million for the PE stake. PE is 67 percent owned by the Michigan-based Penske Corporation, helmed by Roger Penske, an 88-year-old former racecar driver who’s the chairman of a holding company active in various businesses. Penske reportedly wasn’t looking for capital, but was impressed with FOX’s 7.1 million viewers for this year’s Indy 500 (a 41 percent increase from 2024), while Fox Corp. was impressed by the increased interest in IndyCar races. (Penske is the father of Jay Penske, the owner of Penske Media Corporation, publisher of Variety, Deadline, and The Hollywood Reporter.) In conclusion, in the U.S., large payoffs for television rights to sports leagues are changing the nature of sports telecasts, especially baseball, and it hasn’t anything to do with the “torpedo bats” (newly shaped, high-performance bat design). And it is understandable if we consider the fact that sports are the most valuable programming on TV. Of the top 100 U.S. telecasts of 2024, 85 were sporting events and related programming. (Continued From Page 18) concern. In 2013, the Dodgers signed a 25-year $8.35 billion deal with Time Warner Cable (now Charter Spectrum), and the Mets have an $85 million-a-year deal with SportsNet New York (SNY) up until 2035. These rights are in addition to the national licenses negotiated by the League. The income difference between rich and less rich teams is exacerbated by the lack of a players’ pay ceiling that is in place in other U.S. leagues. A baseball pay cap is opposed by the players’ union because it is considered anti-free market. Then there are the “inbred” acquisitions: The NFL is taking a 10 percent stake in Disney’s sports TV operator ESPN for an estimated value that ranges between $2.5 billion and $3 billion. The deal also calls for the NFL Network to be added to ESPN’s stable of channels, and for ESPN to distribute NFL’s Red Zone to pay-TV channels. Previously, in 2022, NFL and Skydance Media joined forces to create Skydance Sports, for the development of a variety of sports-related content, including scripted and unscripted films and series. Skydance, now owner of Paramount Global, VIDEOAGE October 2025 U.S. TV Sports October 22-23, 2025 | Javits Center | NYC Real Results. Fresh Energy. Secure Your Spot Today!
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