CBS will simulcast with the NFL Network eight Thursday night games next season and produce eight more for the NFL Network alone. Reuters reports CBS paid less than $300 million for one year. The league has an option for a second year.
NFL Chooses CBS For Thursday Football
The National Football League will team with CBS to produce and televise Thursday Night Football for the 2014 season, it was announced today by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, CBS Corp. President-CEO Leslie Moonves and CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus.
CBS will air eight early season games that also will be simulcast on NFL Network. NFL Network will also televise eight late-season games in the run-up to the playoffs. The mix of games will include 14 on Thursday nights and two late-season games on Saturday.
The agreement is for the 2014 season with an additional year at the NFL’s option. And while terms were not announced, Reuters reports that the bidding was less than $300 million, according to a person with knowledge of the bids. “Prices were lower than they might have been for such a prized property because the CBS games will simultaneously telecast on the NFL Network,” according to Reuters.
The full slate of 16 regular-season games will be produced by CBS with its lead broadcasters and production team, including Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, on all Thursday night games. In a new twist, NFL Network hosts and analysts will be featured in the pregame, halftime and postgame shows along with CBS Sports announcers.
“NFL Network built Thursday into a night for NFL fans,” said Goodell. “Our goal is to bring these games to more fans on broadcast television with unprecedented promotion and visibility for Thursday Night Football on CBS.”
“We are very pleased to build on our outstanding partnership with the NFL by expanding our coverage to Thursday nights,” said Moonves. “CBS is a premium content company and the NFL represents the best premium content there is. I look forward to all this new deal will do for us not only on Thursday nights, but across our entire schedule.”
BRAND CONNECTIONS
“The NFL is the most powerful programming in television,” said McManus. “To add a primetime NFL package to our successful Sunday AFC package further strengthens our position in the sports marketplace. We look forward to having Jim and Phil and our top production team showcased in primetime on Thursday nights.”
Comments (13)
John McDonald says:
February 5, 2014 at 1:54 pm
Seems to me to be a curious decision for CBS, seeing as how their line-up of sitcoms is doing well on Thursday nights. Are they really going to hold The Big Bang Theory until November? I thought sure NBC would get this package. Thursday would be a rebuilding night for NBC anyway. Still…Thursday Night Football sucks. Too many prime-time games on work nights, pushing late news to close to midnight. How about Saturday nights instead? I’d love it if they started playing the Super Bowl on Saturday nights, too. Then you could party well into the night and not have to worry about getting up for work the next morning.
Wagner Pereira says:
February 5, 2014 at 2:45 pm
HUT levels too low
none none says:
February 5, 2014 at 3:20 pm
ABC sure needed it more than CBS did.
Brian Bussey says:
February 5, 2014 at 3:33 pm
PROGRAMMING DRIVES HUT LEVELS. ASK PRINCESS DIANA.
Debra winans says:
February 5, 2014 at 3:48 pm
HUT levels would be a lot lower unless Nielsen would take into account OOH viewing. Even then, HUTS would probably still be lower on Saturday nights than Thursday nights. Plus, NFL on Saturday night would basically destroy all of the college football that is shown on Saturday nights.
Maria Laing says:
February 5, 2014 at 3:43 pm
Does that reported $300 million go into the coffers of the National Football League, which is a non-profit institution? Or does it get funneled down to the individual teams’ owners where it’s taxable income? Sorry to bring this up, but if the money goes to, and stays with, an IRS-and-Congress determined non-profit, something is very very wrong. Another con by Big Pro Sports.
Jay Miller says:
February 5, 2014 at 4:11 pm
No Saturday nights..That is set for College Football and the NFL does not want to compete with that
Maria Black says:
February 5, 2014 at 4:17 pm
Thank goodness someone in OTA got it! Take THAT, ESPN!
none none says:
February 5, 2014 at 4:26 pm
ESPN has a weak half sister called ABC – they could have done it…..
Albert Pica says:
February 5, 2014 at 4:31 pm
CBS only wanted this in order to make sure NBC didn’t land it.
Cheryl Chaves says:
February 5, 2014 at 4:32 pm
I bet they skew the games to CBS O&O markets. Jets-Pats. Niners-Seahawks. Giants-Eagles. Ravens-Steelers. Also 8 weeks where CBS does not have to pay for scripted shows, and push the premiers to November sweep
Dale Godfrey says:
February 5, 2014 at 8:36 pm
Bet ya the Broncos show up more than once! CBS O&O KCNC would love it!
Wagner Pereira says:
February 6, 2014 at 1:22 am
Thought about this for a good while. #1 thing NFL said they wanted was to raise awareness of Thursday Night games. There is no better partner than CBS to do this. As seen this past Fall, they only had 5 new shows to promote where the other Networks have plenty more. The promotional time and GRPs that CBS can give them with their top ranked shows – as well as on NFL Football on Sunday – something that no other network could deliver. Furthermore, LM will use this to push for even more in retrans. And finally, he loves the fact that this is not something that will not make use of DVR commercial skipping. But one has to wonder how CBS will feel after setting Thursday up as a NFL night early in the Season, only to have back half of games going up against them on Thursday Night. It seems a little bit like Jesus being forced to carry his cross up through the city and up the hill for his cruxifiction.