NFL, ESPN agree to multi-year extension of draft rights

ESPN announced that they have agreed to acquire NFL Network and other media assets in exchange for the NFL taking a 10 percent equity stake in ESPN and the network made another announcement about their relationship with the NFL on Tuesday.

The two sides have agreed to a multi-year extension of ESPN's rights to broadcast the draft. The network has televised the draft since 1980 and they will stream it on on Disney Plus and Hulu for the first time in 2026.

As in recent years, the first two nights of the draft will feature separate telecasts on ESPN and ABC. ABC will simulcast ESPN's Saturday coverage and the agreement leaves space for ESPN to add alternate telecasts on streaming platforms.

The release makes no mention of what will happen regarding NFL Network's telecast of the draft in 2026 and beyond. That's one of the questions left to be answered in the wake of the larger ESPN-NFL deal that was announced on Tuesday.