Bob Iger and Josh Kushner plan to buy the Los Angeles Lakers at a record-setting price of $12.5 billion. The best argument for that price: The value of sports TV deals is the one thing that keeps going up, even as the rest of TV contracts.
But even though that’s been true for years, it doesn’t mean it will always be true. One hint that things might be changing: The all-powerful NFL — the thing that keeps TV afloat — is starting to see some pushback from its TV partners, led by Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch’s Fox.
In 2026, it is very hard to imagine a world where the NFL isn’t the most powerful force in media. But John Ourand , who covers sports…
