The XFL is ramping up for its 2023 season. Just recently they revealed their eight city and stadium locations. In addition to this they signed a multi-year exclusivity deal with Disney and ESPN to air their games on ESPN, ESPN+, ABC and FX.

The deal seemed like a simple partnership on the surface. But now it appears that Disney and ESPN have more invested in the league than what we originally thought.

According to a source who works for The Athletic they shared some more information on the deal that the XFL and ESPN reached earlier this year, stating that the XFL does indeed have the weight of ESPN behind them:

“There is substantial income from day one.” 

Though no financial numbers have been shared the source stated there was indeed a number of rights fees payed to get the XFL. 

Disney potentially sees dollar signs when signing the XFL since during the 2020 run despite running only 5 weeks it brought in over $50 Million in ad revenue. With the league now being on multiple Disney owned networks and hopefully playing a full season they have the potential to make tons more. Let’s be thankful they only partnered with the XFL instead of buying it outright. 

The recent 2022 USFL Season brought in $65 Million in ad revenue, so it does show a hunger for Spring Football.

The source went on to compare the XFL 3.0’s plan compared to the XFL 2.0 from 2020

“Every aspect of the overall plan is better, from the way they will leverage their new owners (which include Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), to the way they see the game being played, to the TV deals, to the marketplaces they chose, to the way they’re housing players, to fan engagement plans.“

With this amount of potential backing and freedom under ESPN the XFL 3.0 has plenty of potential to become a dominant sports brand in the future. Let’s hope they don’t flounder like the last two attempts. 

Source: XFL News Hub