Kirkland Advises Disney on Antitrust Issues Related to Acquisition of NFL Network
Kirkland & Ellis advised The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) on antitrust issues related to the proposed acquisition of NFL Network and certain other media assets owned and controlled by the NFL – including NFL’s linear RedZone Channel and NFL Fantasy – in exchange for a 10% equity stake in ESPN. The non-binding agreement was announced August 5, 2025.
In addition to the sale of NFL Network, the NFL and ESPN are also entering into a second non-binding agreement, under which the NFL will license to ESPN certain NFL content and other intellectual property to be used by NFL Network and other assets. The transactions are subject to the parties’ negotiation of definitive agreements, various approvals including by the NFL team owners, and customary closing conditions. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.
Read the transaction press release
The Kirkland team included antitrust & competition lawyers Andrea Agathoklis Murino, Stephen Mohr, Domenico Pietromonaco, Hayley May, Adam Gomes-Abreu and Jenner Berryhill.
