The league has used its NFL Network to televise the games, but recently put up the 13-game series for bids and received them from NBC, Fox, CBS and ESPN. Turner Sports has also bid, and there's a strong possibility ESPN would put the games on co-owned ABC should it be chosen by the league.
CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN Vie For NFL On Thurs.
SEATTLE (AP) — All four of the NFL’s network partners have bid on the Thursday night television package, a person with knowledge of the bidding process told The Associated Press on Sunday.
The league has used its NFL Network to televise the games, but recently put up the 13-game series for bids and received them from NBC, Fox, CBS and ESPN. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the bidders are not being made public.
Turner Sports has also bid, and there’s a strong possibility ESPN would put the games on ABC should it be chosen by the league.
Fox has launched Fox Sports 1 and NBC has its own cable sports network, NBCSN, both of which would benefit greatly from an NFL presence.
“We’d love to have more NFL games,” NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt said at the Television Critics Association meeting in Pasadena, Calif. “Thursday night games might be really interesting to us. I just can’t say. I mean, it’s something we’re talking about, and we have a great relationship with the NFL.”
The NFL also has expressed a desire to simulcast the games on NFL Network.
BRAND CONNECTIONS
NFL Network began airing an eight-game package in 2006, which increased to 13 in 2012.
Viewership for Thursday night games has been significantly lower than for other packages, but the NFL still is king of the TV ratings. Thursday night games averaged 8 million viewers on NFL Network this past season, the day’s most-watched program on cable TV each week.
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/news/20140119/nfl-thursday-night-football-bids.ap/#ixzz2qwCSF4br
Comments (19)
Don Thompson says:
January 20, 2014 at 8:32 am
What the NFL is really asking is for one of these networks to pay $400 million to simulcast 8 or so NFL Network games on Thursday night. Because the NFL Network certainly won’t cut its license fees, every pay-TV consumer will be forced to pay TWICE for these games, once to the NFL Network and again to the new TV network rights holder. If this deal doesn’t ‘jump the shark,’ I don’t know what does. It’s a hedonistic deal like this that gives the cable bundle — the most revolutionary media innovation between World War II and the Internet — a really bad name and just begs people to flee the traditional video product. Thank you, Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 a/k/a #BayOfPigskin.
none none says:
January 20, 2014 at 8:41 am
If the ABC network misses this opportunity – SHAME on them.
Wagner Pereira says:
January 20, 2014 at 12:41 pm
Actually this would disrupt ABC more than help. Filling 8 weeks would screw up Thursday even more in the other roughly 35 weeks that need programming Sept-May. They have a winner with Scandal (which of course could be moved). They just need something better to fill in the blanks that can run for 20+ weeks instead of 8.
Amy Gordon says:
January 20, 2014 at 8:22 pm
I agree 100%
Amy Gordon says:
January 20, 2014 at 8:24 pm
ABC had Monday Night Football for years and this was never a problem.
Wagner Pereira says:
January 21, 2014 at 2:25 am
ABC was purchased by Disney and decided to slant female on ABC and Male on ESPN.
Sean Smith says:
January 20, 2014 at 9:24 am
Sorry PlasmaMan… I work news for an ABC station, and I don’t want to stay until 1 AM to air an 11 PM show. ABC doesn’t know any better… they’ll put the darn thing on at 9 PM EST, instead of 8 PM. Hated it with Monday Night Football, will hate it worse with Thursday night. I don’t care if ABC gets the games, just put them on ESPN and start it at 8 PM… that’s why it’s there. Don’t keep us from competing with the other news stations at 11 PM.
none none says:
January 20, 2014 at 9:39 am
Sorry Newsoldie its not all about you – It’s about value and revenue for your station, so they can afford to pay YOU and do the news.
Wagner Pereira says:
January 20, 2014 at 12:43 pm
ABC Stations will make more money on News than on 8 Football games that ABC Network would ask to them to pay for.
Bobbi Proctor says:
January 20, 2014 at 9:49 am
It would be nice if the games are broadcast by local TV stations and all viewers, even those of us without payTV, could watch them. ABC would be a good choice as it would only delay “Jimmy Kimmel Live” which we watched once. I’d sure like to see “Nightline” back at an earlier time. ABC stations could put their local news on at 11 on a multicast channel. Have the football game on channel 7.1 and the local news on 7.2 or 7.3 giving viewers a choice of watching the local news at 11 p.m. A taped version could run after the game. Multicasting offers a lot of options that stations aren’t currently taking much advantage of. Give us more options.
Jim Nelson says:
January 20, 2014 at 9:57 am
Sorry,PlasmaMan. Especially in the Eastern Time Zone, 9pm starts ruin 11pm News numbers. You lose revenue for late runs, run-overs, etc. You build value and revenue by consistent airing of local news, not by 8 games over a season.
Jay Miller says:
January 20, 2014 at 10:04 am
NBC needs it..Besides the Voice and SNF they are in a big mess
Maria Black says:
January 20, 2014 at 10:46 am
Maybe if the NFL actually stuck to a run time and stopped letting everything take for freaking ever or guaranteed until a certain time that gave them time to wait 5 minutes for someone to make a call on a flag it wouldn’t be so bad.
none none says:
January 20, 2014 at 12:45 pm
There is life west of the Hudson….
Patrick Schooley says:
January 20, 2014 at 1:14 pm
Not that matters…
Jim Nelson says:
January 20, 2014 at 1:40 pm
Plasma-stations in Central and Mountain zones hate it,also. Some would say that without certain west coast influences, 8pm EST would be the standard.
Mike Fuchs says:
January 20, 2014 at 2:21 pm
Keep in mind everyone, if a broadcast network picks up this deal, many of the costs will be passed on to the affiliates. The net gain may actually be negative to the station, not even counting the late news disruption.
Bobbi Proctor says:
January 20, 2014 at 4:05 pm
My concern is for we viewers, but I wish the best for our local stations which cover local news and importantly bad weather. They are essential for public safety. ESPN sure doesn’t provide that.
Wagner Pereira says:
January 21, 2014 at 2:29 am
Again, i find this very comical that the NFL decides to take TNF to a Network Simulcast after they finally get the TWC Cable Deal 5+ years after the fact. And then they find they can only get 8M viewers on TNF, unlike what they expected. Considering they want this as a “loss leader” to buld the NFL Network brand, any Network would probably be unwise to do this without a longterm contract – not just 8 games in 2014.