Fox has acquired the rights to two additional regular season NFL games, CEO Lachlan Murdoch announced during a conference call with analysts following the company's quarterly earnings. The first game is expected to be an international matchup from Munich in week 10, giving Fox a triple header that Sunday. The second will be a Saturday game in week 15.
Murdoch emphasised that there is no tension with the NFL, noting the long-standing partnership. 'We have been partners for 30 years. We’re looking forward to being partners for the next 30 years,' he said. Fox has four years remaining on its current deal.
When asked about speculation that the NFL might seek to renegotiate existing deals, Murdoch stated, 'We’ve had no substantive discussions with the NFL about that. So, it’s hard, apart from what we’ve read in the press, around speculation, around that [and] I wouldn’t want to add it to that speculation.'
Murdoch added that Fox aims to broaden and deepen its relationship with the NFL, but only in a disciplined manner that creates long-term shareholder value. The announcement comes amid reports that Rupert Murdoch recently dined with US President Donald Trump, where he warned that if football continues to migrate to streaming, it could kill broadcast TV.
