Thread: NFL Network to carry eight regular season games next year

NEW YORK -- The NFL Network will broadcast eight prime-time games on Thursdays and Saturdays beginning next season.

The eight-game package, announced by commissioner Paul Tagliabue on Saturday, will begin with a game on Thanksgiving night. All of the games also will be shown on local stations in the teams' home markets. The package was created by taking Saturday and Sunday games that originally would have been shown by the league's broadcast partners or on their regional telecasts.

The league runs the 2-year-old NFL Network, which is in about 40 million homes. The addition of games to its lineup almost assuredly will increase that number.

The league also has lucrative deals with CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN and DirecTV.

"After discussing this new package of games with many potential partners, we decided it would be best presented on our own, high-quality NFL Network, which has developed so rapidly that the time had come to add live regular-season games to the programming," Tagliabue said. "In the end, we wanted these games on our network, which is devoted 24/7 to the sport of football, and not on a multi-sport network."

ESPN is paying $1.1 billion annually over eight years to broadcast the Monday night games. NBC has a six-year, $3.6 billion deal for the Sunday night package. CBS and Fox are paying a total of $8 billion over six years for the rights to Sunday afternoon games. DirecTV agreed to pay $3.5 billion for a five-year extension that runs through 2010.

i think the thanksgiving night game is dumb it has been traditionnfor detroit and dallas to add another one seems stupid but i guess i have to remember they only care about their ratings

I don't mind the Turkey Day addition.

I think that they are trying to force more people to ponder the idea of Dtv.

How would you feel if tthe night game they added was the Vikings as the team that would be hosting the game every year?

"jaymz7" wrote:

How would you feel if tthe night game they added was the Vikings as the team that would be hosting the game every year?

Heh, won't happen.
When has the league ever showcased the Vikes as of late?

"ChezPizmo" wrote:

"jaymz7" wrote:

How would you feel if tthe night game they added was the Vikings as the team that would be hosting the game every year?

Heh, won't happen.
When has the league ever showcased the Vikes as of late?

2 years ago Monday night against the Eagles
2 years ago Monday night against the Colts
Last year Monday night against the Packers
Last year Sunday night against the Ravens
Last year they moved our game against the Bears to 3:15 to get a wider audience.

I wasn't all that excited when the Cowgirls infringed on Turkey day. Now I could care less. The more games the better. If need be, it offers a good escape from annoying relatives.

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POSTED 7:52 a.m. EST, January 29, 2006
TURKEY DAY TRIPLEHEADER ON TAP
Link

A key point omitted to date in the coverage of the NFL's decision to air eight regular-season games on its own official network is that the launch of the package will be part of a new tripleheader on Thanksgiving.

The New York Times reported Saturday that the NFL Network will air the Redskins at Cowboys on Thanksgiving. Based on the language of the official press release (which one of our most loyal readers pointed out to us), the NFL Network's game will air at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. This means that both CBS and FOX will have games earlier in the day.

So, obviously, that the long-standing monopoly of the Lions and Cowboys on Turkey Day home games will end in 2006, since a new team will host the late afternoon matchup.

Because both Detroit and Dallas are from the NFC, look for an AFC team to get in on the action. The Chiefs have long carped about their inability to break into the Turkey Day rotation, so maybe they'll get the first shot at it. Since it's a FOX game, the visitors must be an NFC team.

And our guess is that the NFL will use the second game of the tripleheader as a true rotation going forward, with other cities now getting a shot at hosting a game on Thanksgiving.

The biggest loser in this regard is one of the NFL's prime broadcast partners. ESPN, which pays starting this year $1.1 billion for the rights to Monday Night Football, plans to air Boston College at Miami on Thanksgiving night. The ratings potential for that one, however, has just gone out the window with the news that one of the biggest rivalries in all of sports will be on the air at the same time.

Our guess is that the Boys in Bristol might take a look-see at moving that game a bit, perhaps to the night before the holiday.

POSTED 12:27 p.m. EST, January 28, 2006
NFL NETWORK THROWS WRENCH INTO TURKEY DAY

The NFL Network is making its boldest move yet to force its way into every cable system in America.

According to The New York Times, the league's official television station will carry eight regular-season games in 2006, starting with the Redskins at the Cowboys.

On Thanksgiving.

Though the game will be simulcast on broadcast channels in Dallas and D.C., the rest of the country will need to get their NTV before November or the only way folks will be watching Cowboys wrestling with other grown men on Thanksgiving is if they pick up a DVD of Brokeback Mountain.

i think its a great idea to move games around to other networks. then we get a different drew to do the games and we dont get stuck with the same bums every week.

"ChezPizmo" wrote:

"jaymz7" wrote:

How would you feel if tthe night game they added was the Vikings as the team that would be hosting the game every year?

Heh, won't happen.
When has the league ever showcased the Vikes as of late?

You say that like the NFL is doing something terribly wrong. But have the Vikings really done anything to convince the NFL that the entire nation wants to watch their games?? Not really IMO. They were a .500 team that struggled against good opponents and missed the playoffs. Why should the NFL be showcasing the Vikings??

To be honest, I didn't really find the Vikings games all that exciting this year. I personally enjoyed watching them very much, but that enjoyment and excitiment came out of being a Vikings fan. On the other hand, teams like the Colts are much MUCH more marketable, and so the NFL will be showcasing them. It's only fair and I don't see any problem with it.

I would love to see more of a variety of games on! Until i can get sunday ticket i don't get to see much otherwise besides what's on network! I'll take everything i can get!