"Disney has reportedly explored spinning off ESPN, so the latter could pursue sports betting without conflicting with Disney’s family-friendly brand. Although Disney isn't family friendly anymore, in many different ways."
In the midst of some large media companies not growing at the rate once seen, and in a lot of cases declining, the appeal of being in streaming and linear offerings is strong.
The NFL has had the respective bids of Disney, Apple and Amazon for weeks now. DirecTV has not bid for the package but has stated it is willing to partner with the new rightsholder for a potential deal.
"EA Sports, the maker of popular sports video game franchises like the Madden and FIFA series, was near a deal with NBCUniversal for a merger. That fell apart due to a disagreement over the price and power structure of the new company."