ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro said he would not be surprised to encounter competition from FANG when the next round of NFL television contracts expire in coming years.
Facebook, Apple, Netflix and Google were not specifically named, but Pitaro said he expected tech titans to make a run at football rights.
ESPN’s $15.2 billion deal for Monday Night Football expires in 2021. CBS, Fox and NBC have deals with the NFL that run through 2022.
“I have no idea if they’re going to be interested in Monday Night Football, but I do believe that several new media companies are going to be interested in acquiring more NFL rights,” he said, during a discussion at the Paley Center for Media, according to the Associated Press.