US sports broadcaster ESPN will not enter a bid for the NFL American football league’s Thursday Night Football package, according to a report.
Citing sources with knowledge of the bidding process, TheStreet.com said that ESPN will not enter a bid as it is satisfied with the current Thursday night primetime line-up on sister network ABC.
ESPN already has the NFL’s Monday Night Football package of rights.
In December, the NFL asked broadcasters to submit offers for an eight-game package, as well as an alternative arrangement under which two successful bidders would share matches.
CBS and rival network Fox are believed to have submitted proposals for the next package of rights.
Reports have said that the NFL could switch to a multi-year model and award the rights for a period from the 2016-17 campaign, possibly through to the 2021-22 season.
The CBS network has broadcast Thursday Night Football over the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons under consecutive one-year deals. CBS currently pays $300m (€275m) per season for the rights, but this is expected to increase to as much as $600m per year.