ESPN Announces Huge Fantasy Football Deal With NFL

Fantasy Football is nearly as popular as the National Football League itself, and ESPN Fantasy Football is now about as close as you can get to the real thing.

What's Happening:

• Today ESPN announced a new deal with the National Football League that makes ESPN Fantasy Football the official fantasy football game of the NFL.
• A number of changes to the ESPN Fantasy Football App were also announced alongside the deal.
  • Knockout Leagues: A new elimination-style format is being added this season. Each week, the lowest scoring team is eliminated from play, with all their players being released for other teams to pick up.
  • Fantasy Achievements: A new system of digital awards have been unlocked, allowing players to show off reaching different fantasy football milestones.
  • New NFL-branded games: Three existing game types have been renamed as part of the new NFL deal, Pigskin Pick'em is now NFL Pick'em, Eliminator Challenge is now NFL Survivor, and Pigskin Win Totals is now NFL Win Totals.
• A couple of changes have also been made to some of ESPN's fantasy football focused programming.
  • The ESPN show Fantasy Football Now will be known as Fantasy Focus Countdown going forward.
  • Fantasy Focus: Sunday Kickoff will launch on digital platforms this season, deigned as a second screen experience companion to Fantasy Focus Countdown.

More ESPN News:

• In other NFL/ESPN news, the recently acquired NFL Network is now available to subscribers of ESPN Unlimited.
• Fans of unusual sports get ready, as ESPN8: the Ocho, returns later this week.
• ESPN was just part of recent Disney layoffs due to the NFL Network acquisition.