ESPN Kicks Off Increased NFL Preseason Presence After Equity Deal

ESPN’s portfolio of NFL preseason game broadcasts has expanded this year thanks to the landmark league equity deal that was finalized this spring.

While the flagship ESPN channel is still showing just one national game telecast this month, the ESPN app has 12 out-of-market preseason broadcasts, up from five games last year, and the ESPN-operated NFL Network has an additional 19 out-of-market games. From Thursday through Aug. 29, all 31 out-of-market games plus the lone national game are available to watch in the ESPN app for subscribers of ESPN Unlimited—the company’s direct-to-consumer streamer product that has caused some confusion and frustration for fans of other sports.

ESPN took control of NFL Network on April 1, three months after the federal government approved the deal (which was first announced in August 2025) that gave the league a 10% equity stake in ESPN in exchange for parent company Disney’s acquisition of NFL Network and the rights to distribute NFL RedZone to pay TV operators. Next month will mark the first season of NFL RedZone’s new relationship with ESPN, but the popular whiparound show will still be owned and operated by the league.

Content exclusive to the ESPN Unlimited plan has become more widely available this year for existing subscribers of major providers like YouTube TV, Comcast, Spectrum, and others by authenticating their qualifying subscriptions inside the ESPN app.

NFL+, the league-owned and operated streaming app that launched in 2022, continues to broadcast all live out-of-market preseason games amid ESPN’s increasing presence. For ESPN and NFL+, those broadcasts are simulcasts of the games’ local productions, with out-of-market viewers typically hearing the home team’s announcers. It’s unclear whether ESPN’s preseason game portfolio will change at all next year.

Meanwhile, the finalization of the equity deal also led to the end of the mostly unpopular Monday Night Football doubleheaders on ESPN and ABC. Including NFL Network’s five exclusive international regular season game broadcasts, ESPN networks will air a company record 29 NFL games this year, culminating with ESPN’s first Super Bowl.