XFL Announces Broadcast Partnership With ESPN, 2023 Season Start Date
The XFL will be kicking off a whole new season next year, and has announced an official broadcast partnership with ESPN! Things have been brewing for the new league as following a second attempt at bringing it back, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, and RedBird Capital Partners, have taken the reins and are prepping for a whole new take on it. This was first revealed with a brand new logo, and was soon announced for a new season of games kicking off in 2023. Now the newest update from the league has revealed that they now have an exclusive broadcast partnership with ESPN.
As part of Disney's recent upfronts presentation, it was announced that the XFL has formed a multi-year agreement with the Walt Disney Company and ESPN for the 2023-2027 seasons. They will get the exclusive broadcast rights for the league's 43 games for each season, tentpole events, and more and will be aired and streamed across ESPN, ABC, and FX. You can check out the official announcement for the exclusive partnership between XFL and ESPN below:
We're making it official! We've formed a multi-year agreement w/ @WaltDisneyCo & @ESPN, who will have exclusive broadcast rights for all 2023–2027 game day content, tentpole events & more.
— XFL (@XFL2023) May 17, 2022
Each season's 43 games will be aired & streamed across ABC, ESPN, and FX. #DisneyUpfront22
The XFL has also announced that the first game in the 2023 season will kick off on Saturday, February 2023. Each season will include 43 games in all with 40 regular season games, two playoffs, one championship. Dwayne Johnson said the following about the new partnership in the official press release, "This is a definitive moment for the XFL and the beginning of an incredible, long-term partnership for the league, building on my longstanding, very successful legacy relationship I've had with Disney throughout my career."
Elaborating further with, "We're excited to be working with global visionaries that are aligned with the XFL's values, are true team players and share our ambitious goals to grow the XFL as a global sports and entertainment business. Through the combined power of Disney, ESPN and the XFL, together we will create a new powerhouse on the sports calendar and bring a dynamic game of football to fans everywhere. Time to ball out."
Dany Garcia, Chairwoman of the XFL, said the following, "Without question, we have long admired Disney's distinct ability to engage an expansive consumer fanbase across verticals, while also maintaining a deeply authentic, nuanced and heartfelt approach to storytelling much like our own...To find a partner that honors our foundation and to be able to root our vision of unwavering passion, accessibility and the future of football with Disney as our home, is a dream come true. We are extraordinarily excited to explore the endless possibilities of this partnership – today is surely just the beginning."
What do you think? Are you excited for the XFL's next season? Which network will you be checking it out on? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments!
