NFL owners approve renewal with Electronic Arts, ease distribution rule for CBS and Fox games
Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks to pass against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium on February 02, 2020 in Miami, Florida.

National Football League team owners have renewed the NFL's exclusive video gaming rights with Electronic Arts and eased restrictions on how many games CBS and Fox can broadcast on Sundays.

Terms of the multiyear agreement with EA Sports, which produces the popular Madden NFL football series, were not announced.

Brian Rolapp, NFL executive vice president and chief media and business officer, said Thursday the league spent a year analyzing the gaming sector and listening to pitches from rival firms, including 2K Games, owned by New York-based Take-Two Interactive Software . Rolapp said EA made the "most compelling case and beat out the competition pretty profoundly."

Rolapp called EA's innovation plan "compelling" and a big reason why team owners agreed to renew the agreement. EA's exclusive partnership with the NFL started in 2005, with multiple extensions keeping the connection active.

OneTeam Partners represented the National Football League Players Association with the agreement's licensing element. Formed in November 2019, the company collaborated with the Major League Baseball Players Association and investment firm RedBird Capital to help athletes maximize their name, image and likeness.

"EA Sports and Madden NFL are such pivotal points of connection for NFL players, the sport and its fans," NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said in a statement. "We have a shared vision to expand the fanbase of football through interactivity, and we're thrilled to continue our strong partnership with EA SPORTS to bring this to life in more ways than ever."