has a perception issue<\/a> \u2014 fair or not \u2014 of making acquired properties feel like ESPN. Magnus addressed that by framing the deal as combining resources rather than absorbing NFL Network into the Worldwide Leader\u2019s operation.<\/p>\n\u201cThis is a great problem for us to have,\u201d Magnus said. \u201cWhen we dive in and really start thinking about how we combine these two things in many ways, even though they\u2019ll continue to be obviously separate networks, what I hope is that it\u2019s a one plus one equals three situation. They have a lot of talented voices over there. We obviously do too. They cover the NFL. It\u2019s a 24\/7 endeavor for pretty much both of us at this point, year-round in coverage of this league that is so popular and commands so much attention every day, all day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both networks already cover the NFL around the clock. The challenge Magnus outlined is making that coverage better by sharing resources without losing what makes each network work.<\/p>\n
And part of what makes the NFL Network work is Good Morning Football, which Magnus called the league network\u2019s biggest success story. He added that figuring out what that show looks like under ESPN ownership is one of the more intriguing parts of the deal. GMFB has survived multiple cast changes and remains one of the most consistent morning sports shows on TV. The show\u2019s success comes from its chemistry and willingness to be lighter than ESPN\u2019s typical NFL coverage.<\/p>\n
Of course, none of this can happen until federal regulators sign off on the deal. Magnus said the approval process has ESPN stuck in an awkward position where they own NFL Network on paper but can\u2019t actually do anything with it.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, the government approval filter on this thing is not insignificant,\u201d Magnus explained. \u201cIt severely limits the depth by which we can involve ourselves in the business for a period of time. There\u2019s all kinds of gun-jumping provisions that limit how much we can influence what\u2019s happening there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Magnus indicated there\u2019s no specific timeline for when regulators might approve the deal. That uncertainty creates a hard deadline in early May, when the NFL finalizes its 2026 season schedule. The league builds its schedule after the Super Bowl and has it ready by then. If regulators haven\u2019t signed off by May, the deal gets pushed to 2027.<\/p>\n
Until then, Magnus is left selling a vision he can\u2019t execute yet.<\/p>\n
Magnus talked a confident game about preserving the NFL Network\u2019s identity while making both networks better through collaboration. The execution of that plan starts with Good Morning Football. What happens to that show once ESPN controls the budget and programming will tell us whether Magnus can actually pull off what he\u2019s promising, or if NFL Network just becomes another ESPN channel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ESPN and NFL Network personalities will show up on both networks once Disney\u2019s acquisition clears regulatory approval. Burke…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":422801,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[197287,171,59920,197288,173,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-422800","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-burke-magnus","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-nfl-network","11":"tag-si-media-with-jimmy-traina","12":"tag-tv","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-unitedstates","15":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=422800"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422800\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/422801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=422800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=422800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=422800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}