ESPN announced Tuesday it had agreed to acquire numerous media assets from the NFL in a landmark agreement.
Most notably, ESPN acquired NFL Network and the league’s ever-popular RedZone channel, which shows every touchdown from every game, as part of the deal. The NFL will acquire a 10% equity stake in ESPN as part of the deal.
ESPN has also acquired the NFL’s fantasy football product, making NFL Fantasy a part of ESPN Fantasy Football.
What will that mean for fantasy football managers? Here’s what we know about that element of the merger as the 2025 NFL season approaches.
How ESPN, NFL fantasy football merger will impact leagues
ESPN announced it was planning to ‘merge [the NFL’s fantasy product] into its existing platform’ after acquiring it from the NFL. That means all NFL Fantasy leagues will eventually be a part of the ESPN Fantasy Football app, and ESPN Fantasy Football will be the official game of the NFL.
A timetable for the app merger has not yet been finalized. That said, it seems unlikely to happen before the 2025 NFL season, as the agreements between ESPN and the NFL are subject to approval from both government regulators and NFL owners. Such a delay would allow those using the NFL Fantasy App to continue doing so in 2025.
ESPN did not immediately respond to USA TODAY Sports’ request for more details about the pending merger of the two products.
It’s worth noting ESPN changed the interface of its fantasy app on Monday, Aug. 4, one day before the agreement with the NFL was announced. ESPN outlined the changes made to the app for the 2025 fantasy football season, ‘will provide improved roster management options and a more personalized experience tailored to your teams and leagues.’
It’s unclear whether the pending merger was part of the impetus for the changes, nor is it clear whether the upgrades will facilitate ESPN’s eventual integration of the NFL Fantasy App’s data into its product.