This year, three networks will televise the draft: FOX, NFL Network, and ESPN. In future years, other networks could join the party, in theory.
Michael McCarthy of SportingNews.com reports that the NFL’s contracts with FOX and ESPN don’t guarantee exclusivity, which means that NBC or CBS also could be given the opportunity televise the proceedings.
On the surface, the potential for oversaturation could be off-putting to the NFL and the networks. However, McCarthy explains that some league executives envision the draft becoming like election night, with every network partner having its own coverage.
Of course, that could also be part of an effort to get a network to try to pay big money for exclusivity, freezing out all other networks with the kind of check that would constitute an offer the NFL can’t refuse.
