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The Los Angeles Dodgers and Fox Sports are nearing a deal that will pay the Dodgers at least $6 billion over the next 25 years, reports Bill Shaikin of the LA Times:
Fox Sports could pay at least $6 billion to retain the Dodgers’ television rights, three parties familiar with the negotiations said Sunday.
The deal could be worth three times what the Dodgers’ new owners paid for the team and almost 20 times the value of the Dodgers’ current television contract.
The deal is not done, the parties said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing negotiations.
If a deal is not agreed to by this coming Friday, the Dodgers will have until the following Friday to submit a final offer. Fox has 30 days from the day LA makes their final offer to accept or reject.
The deal could be a big step in Fox's plan to build a national sports network to rival ESPN. The company purchased a 49 percent stake in the Yankees' sports network, YES, last week, and a deal with the Dodgers would give the company rights to two major baseball markets.
Anyone wondering where the Dodgers would find the money to pay the nearly $200 million in player payroll they have stacked up for next season, need not worry if this deal goes through.
