
Government regulators have approved ESPN's acquisition of NFL Media, and the two sides closed their billion-dollar deal on Saturday night, according to a report from Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.
The NFL will take a 10 percent ownership stake in ESPN, valued in the "billions," per Marchand's report. As part of the deal, ESPN will own and operate NFL Network, which will include linear rights to the popular NFL RedZone channel - a Sunday viewing staple for millions of football fans every fall.