Comcast and NFL strike deal to keep NFLN and RedZone in cable packages

5/2 UPDATE: Well, that was quick. The NFL and Comcast quickly struck a deal to return NFL Network and NFL RedZone to cable packages, per Sports Business Journal. The deal comes one day after Comcast dropped the two channels. NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell called up Comcast’s Brian Roberts and pushed a deal through. Terms are unknown at this time.

Comcast, which owns NBC, has dropped both NFL Network and NFL RedZone from their cable packages, per Awful Announcing. The NFL and Comcast have had trouble coming to agreements in the past, but they’ve now made the move to discontinue the services, at least for now.

There’s a real chance this is just a negotiating tactic, as Comcast waited until the NFL Draft finished up before dropping NFLN, which aired all three days of the draft. At this point in the NFL news cycle, there will be a lull in must-see NFL television.

Since Comcast owns NBC and NBC pays for rights to televise games, we should see a push to get these two channels back into Comcast packages. Comcast did move NFLN and RedZone to a higher, more expensive tier five years ago, so there is real tension between these two big media heavy hitters.

In the end, a compromise is likely to happen before Week 1 of the season, but how that turns out for viewers is up in the air.