When ESPN officially took the keys to NFL Network on April 1, 2026 everyone couldn’t help but notice the date. For a league media arm that had been looking for a buyer for years, an April Fools takeover felt a bit too on the nose. But for millions of Comcast Xfinity subscribers, punchline actually arrived exactly one month later. On May 1, when they switched on their television, all they saw was a black screen!

Turns out that the entire black screen fiasco is because the carriage deal expired. Now several sources have stated that Comcast claims that Disney and ESPN are requesting nearly twice the price for the same NFL Network programming and want millions more Xfinity subscribers to pay for a channel that is not even watched by most people. As Awful Announcing later reported, the situation is tied more broadly to an ESPN/Disney distribution disagreement.

“Comcast has provided Awful Announcing with the following statement: Disney/ESPN acquired NFL Network and Red Zone just months ago and is already demanding double the fees for the same content. Their distribution demands would also make millions more pay for a channel they don’t watch. We remain open to continuing to talk and reach a fair deal for our customers.”

Now, Comcast has always been cautious about adding niche sports channels to its basic offering to avoid raising bills for all customers, previously engaging in similar “low viewership” disputes with networks like MSG and Altitude Sports. The timing also adds another layer of tension.

This comes just a month after ESPN took control of the channels as part of a massive $3 billion deal, which also gave the NFL a 10% stake in ESPN. That makes this the first major dispute for the NFL Network under ESPN’s ownership. Unlike before, it is now ESPN, not the NFL, handling negotiations with Comcast.

Comcast made its position clear in a statement, saying its contract to carry the channels had expired and that it is now in talks with Disney and ESPN.

“Our contract to carry NFL Network and NFL RedZone has expired, and we’re in discussions with the new owner, Disney/ESPN, about our future carriage of the networks,” Comcast said, per Pro Football Network.

On the other side, ESPN called the blackout disappointing for fans who suddenly lost access to NFL Network and RedZone. A Disney spokesperson said ESPN had actually suggested keeping the channels live during negotiations, but Comcast decided to pull them anyway.

ESPN claims that it is still pursuing a mutually fair agreement and hopes to have the service restored as soon as possible. In the meantime, the timing softens the impact a bit. The NFL Draft is already in the past, while the preseason is several months away, which means there is no rush in terms of football season.

Nevertheless, the general perspective remains quite clear. ESPN is now positioned as the main negotiator, and both parties aim to reach an agreement before the football season begins again. And here is the kicker, this isn’t the first time that the NFL Network has gone dark on Comcast due to a carriage dispute.

It’s Comcast’s second blackout in three years!

Back on May 1, 2023, Comcast dropped both NFL Network and NFL RedZone from its Xfinity cable lineup, leaving many football fans without access just days after the 2023 NFL Draft. The blackout happened because the agreement between Comcast and the NFL expired, and the two sides could not agree on new terms.

Instead of live coverage, viewers saw a message on their screens stating that the channel was unavailable due to an expired deal. At the heart of the issue were disagreements over money and contract length. Comcast was not happy with the NFL’s proposed terms, especially the shorter extension period.

The deal mattered a lot to fans because it also included access to NFL RedZone, a popular show that jumps between live games every Sunday. Comcast, through its NBCUniversal division, also broadcasts Sunday Night Football, which makes the relationship even more important.

In fact, according to Sports Business Journal, the situation got serious enough for a call between the top executives. Reportedly, the NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, personally contacted the Comcast CEO, Brian Roberts, to get things moving. As you can tell, this sort of thing does not happen commonly during such big negotiations.

Fortunately, it was not a lengthy blackout as it only lasted two days, starting from May 1 to May 2, when both parties managed to agree on something else. It goes without saying that situations like these show that not even NFL Network can avoid being shut down.