XFL Announces TV Deals With FOX, ABC and ESPN

The XFL announced that they have signed multi-year deals to air their games on ABC, ESPN and FOX.

Games will air on Saturdays and Sundays and there will also be games on Thursday in prime time (8PM ET) on FOX in the last two weeks of the 10 week season.

The league’s first game will air on Saturday, February 8 at 2 PM ET on ABC and the championship game will air on ESPN on Sunday, April 26 at 3 PM ET. Check out the schedule below.

According to Sports Business Daily, the TV networks are not paying rights fees to the XFL, but they will cover production costs for the games, which are around $400,000 per game.

The networks are not paying a rights fee, but ESPN and Fox are picking up production costs, which generally amount to around $400,000 per game, sources said. As part of the deal, the nets will sell ads around the game; the XFL will handle sponsorships at the venue. ESPN and Fox will hold streaming rights to XFL games. The two nets also will cross-promote games during game broadcasts.

FOX Sports President of National Networks Mark Silverman also told Sports Business Daily that FOX made sure that the league “is in it for the long run,” saying, “The league to partner with is the league that has financing. The XFL has a business plan. It is in it for the long haul. We did our diligence. We made sure this entity is in it for the long run. The business plan is in order. We know the key leadership from our WWE deal.”

The #XFL has four new homes.

Announcing our #XFL2020 broadcast partners:@ABCNetwork, @ESPN, @FoxSports & @FS1 📺

More info at https://t.co/hAlDLJuvRV. pic.twitter.com/YmBPhkTez5

— XFL (@xfl2020) May 6, 2019

Adding to its unrivaled football portfolio, FOX Sports announces a multi-year deal with the XFL to televise weekly games on broadcast and cable starting with the inaugural 2020 season. #FOXisFootball 🏈

📰: https://t.co/OL7esA7Kdw pic.twitter.com/0CgoN1kRZ2

— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) May 6, 2019

🏈 ESPN/ABC & XFL 🏈

"We look forward to showcasing the XFL on ESPN & ABC, including the kickoff game & championship during the league’s inaugural season…which will be a great addition to our year-round commitment to football" – ESPN EVP @burkemagnus https://t.co/6t1rxlgFVL pic.twitter.com/YcaqjOkVFI

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) May 6, 2019

Here’s the XFL’s press release:

XFL TO AIR ON ABC, ESPN, FOX SPORTS AND FS1

Stamford, Conn., May 6, 2019 – The XFL today announced multi-year agreements with ESPN and FOX Sports to televise XFL games starting with its inaugural 2020 season. XFL games will air weekly on broadcast TV (ABC and FOX) complemented by games on cable (ESPN, ESPN2, FS1 and FS2). The XFL TV schedule allows for consistent appointment viewing each week with back-to-back games starting Saturday afternoons at 2 pm ET as well as two additional games on Sunday afternoons.

“We look forward to showcasing the XFL on ESPN and ABC, including the kickoff game and championship during the league’s inaugural season,” said Burke Magnus, ESPN Executive Vice President, Programming and Scheduling. “Vince McMahon and Oliver Luck are two of the sports industry’s most creative and experienced leaders, and they have exciting plans for this league. We believe in their vision for the XFL, which will be a great addition to our year-round commitment to football.”

“We welcome the XFL to the FOX Sports Family and are pleased to expand our relationship with Vince McMahon,” said Eric Shanks, FOX Sports CEO & Executive Producer. “Football is in FOX Sports’ DNA and a key component of our programming strategy. Alongside Oliver Luck and his incredible team, we’re excited for the debut of the XFL on FOX Sports.”

“We are thrilled to partner with ESPN and FOX Sports, two innovative media companies with extensive experience in world-class football production that will undoubtedly help us reimagine football,” said Vince McMahon, XFL Founder & Chairman. “The XFL broadcast schedule provides us with incredible reach and makes it easy for fans to watch our games consistently every weekend.”

The agreements were negotiated by CAA Sports and Evolution Media Capital (EMC) on behalf of the XFL.

The XFL will kick off on Saturday, February 8, 2020 with teams in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, St. Louis, Seattle, Tampa Bay and Washington D.C. Additional XFL-themed programming and on-air talent will be announced in the future.

About ESPN ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment enterprise, features more than 50 assets – eight U.S. television networks, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN International, ESPN The Magazine and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.

About FOX Sports FOX Sports is the umbrella entity representing FOX Corporation’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets. Built with brands capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, the business has ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing relationships. FOX Sports includes the sports television arm of the FOX Network; FS1, FS2, FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Deportes. FOX Sports’ digital properties include FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports App, which provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content, instant scores, stats and alerts to iOS and Android devices. Additionally, FOX Sports and social broadcasting platform, Caffeine jointly own Caffeine Studios which creates exclusive eSports, sports and live entertainment content. Also included in FOX Sports’ portfolio are FOX’s interests in joint-venture businesses Big Ten Network and BTN 2Go, as well as a licensing agreement that established the FOX Sports Radio Network.