"The Worldwide Leader in Sports" has reached a major deal with the most popular league in the US. ESPN is acquiring the National Football League's media assets, the network confirmed in a news release on Wednesday,

Ever since the NFL announced it was looking to sell NFL Network and other media assets, ESPN had been seen as one of the favorites to make a deal. Nearly five years later, a framework is finally in place.

The Wednesday morning announcement that the draft will continue to be televised by ESPN didn't include any information about the duration of the deal.