Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia took the stage at Disney’s upfronts presentation to announce a carriage deal for all 43 of the XFL’s games when the spring pro league returns in 2023.
“We have entered into an exclusive multi-year deal with our partners, The Walt Disney Company to produce and distribute all of our games,” Garcia said. ABC, ESPN and FX will all air games, the duo said.
Johnson called the XFL “the league of passion, the league of pride, the league of culture.”
Johnson and Garcia acquired the XFL with other investors after the league went through a bankruptcy proceeding. WWE founder and CEO Vince McMahon bankrolled the return of the league, which was resurrected after a 20-year absence but soon ran into the buzzsaw of Covid.
The league’s revival “is going to be perfectly timed for football fans who want the thrill of more touchdowns following the end of the college and the NFL season,” Garcia said.
Historically, efforts to rival the NFL have all sputtered. The USFL has also returned, with games on Fox and NBC in a new version of the league technically unrelated to the one that dissolved in the 1980s.
Johnson made the case for the retooled XFL. “It’s also going to feature technological innovations designed to create a really unique viewing experience for fans all over the world,” he said.
Garcia also directed a message to advertisers: “We are rebuilding this brand. And with your brands. We can co create something that is truly special and iconic.”
She said the new owners are “thrilled to see this vision come alive with our team with Disney to create explosive, new powerhouse that’s going to live on the sports calendar every year.”
Nellie Andreeva contributed to this report.
