NFL Exec Brian Rolapp Expects Paramount And Other Legacy Rights Holders To Stay Afloat Through 2033 End Of Current Deal: “We’re Not Worried About Any Insolvency Risk”

deadline.com:

Despite the rigors of the ongoing transition from linear TV to streaming, NFL Chief Media & Business Officer Brian Rolapp expects traditional media partners like Fox, NBCUniversal, Disney and Paramount to remain viable for years to come. “We’re not worried about any insolvency risk,” Rolapp said when asked about Paramount and other rights holders whose NFL deals last through 2033. “Even if you look at Paramount and dive into it, there’s no risk in our view of them being a going concern.

I think they’re dealing with what every content distribution company in the world is dealing with, including the digital players, of how to adjust to a much different world.” Rolapp delivered the comments during the Washington Post‘s Futurist Summit, which was streamed online.

There has been chatter in financial circles recently about the sizable payments to the NFL that could test Paramount’s already less-than-top-shelf ratings with major credit agencies.

The CBS parent’s controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, has been fielding offers for her interest in the company or for some or all of Paramount Global, with its pay-TV assets seen as a complicating factor in those discussions. “It doesn’t matter if it’s Disney or Paramount or Google, for that matter,” Rolapp said. “All partners of ours, I think they’re all figuring out how to shift their business model in this new world.