About 30 minutes after the National Football League announced its new 11-year media rights deal this week, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft praised his commissioner Roger Goodell.
Kraft, the chairman of the league’s media committee, had plenty of reasons to compliment Goodell. He just delivered NFL team owners more than $100 billion in media rights fees. Kraft was so thrilled he said working with Goodell on this negotiation was “one of the most enjoyable experiences of my professional career.”
Kraft added: “He treats his position as being the custodian of the league’s long-term best interest. When coupled with his unique strategic business acumen, we’re able to get outcomes like this one. We are very fortunate to have him as our commissioner.”
Goodell has locked in a decade of NFL labor peace and TV deals. Now, he’ll oversee the league’s data rights which fuel sports betting. The NFL could seek over $100 million per year for its new data rights agreement according to people familiar with the situation.
The people said the NFL would try to align its new data rights deal with media deals. The individuals spoke with CNBC on condition of anonymity due to privacy concerns. One of the people said the NFL could even seek up to $250 million, as its data rights continue to lead U.S. sports betting hauls.
The NFL currently has a data agreement with Sportradar and has equity in the firm dating back to 2015. Terms of that deal are undisclosed but the parties are currently in talks to extend the agreement, the people said.
Sportradar is a data and integrity company that gathers sports data like live play-by-plays and operates the NFL’s next generation stats using Amazon technology. The firm has deals with sports gambling companies to provide data used to set betting odds. Sportradar is using the SPAC, or special purpose acquisition company, route to enter the public market.
The company also extended its deal with the National Basketball Association last October. Under its previous deal, it paid the NBA about $41 million per year. Chicago-based Stats Perform is also one of the more notable data firms.
The NFL did not make an official available to discuss the matter and Sportradar declined to comment.
As for the broader media rights deal that was inked on Thursday, here’s what stands out:
