NBC to join CBS, NFL Network with 'Thursday Night Football' telecasts
"Must See TV" is coming to Thursday Night Football.
The NFL announced Monday that NBC will join CBS and NFL Network for TNF telecasts during the 2016 and 2017 regular seasons.
Thursday night games became a fixture in 2006 on NFL Network, which will continue to simulcast all games in the package, before CBS joined it in 2014.
Over the next two seasons, CBS and NBC will broadcast five games apiece while NFL Network will retain exclusive rights to eight other games. CBS had produced eight games in both the 2014 and '15 seasons.
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“We are continuing to make Thursday Night Football bigger and better. CBS has played an integral role over the last two seasons in helping build Thursdays as a night for NFL football, and we're excited to have them on board again," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a statement.
“At the same time, we're thrilled to add NBC to the Thursday Night Football mix, a trusted partner with a proven track record of success broadcasting NFL football in primetime, and look forward to expanding with a digital partner for what will be a unique tri-cast on broadcast, cable, and digital platforms."
The Thursday night schedule has improved in recent years, and Aaron Rodgers' Hail Mary to cap the Green Bay Packers' win over the Detroit Lions last season was one of the regular season's most indelible moments.
However the league mandates that each team must play at least once on Thursday during the regular season, which still causes some less-than-enticing matchups. The NFL tried to spice up some of those games visually by introducing "Color Rush" uniforms last season, though color-blind viewers who could not differentiate green and red did not appreciate watching the monochromatic New York Jets and Buffalo Bills face off. The league plans to expand the "Color Rush" component in 2016 nonetheless.
Players also tend not to be fans of the quick turnaround for TNF games, especially when they have to play on the road.
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Both CBS and NBC will produce TNF with their lead broadcasters and production teams. CBS and NFL Network will televise the first half of the Thursday Night Football schedule with NBC and NFL Network televising the second half.
“Our mission when we first put games on Thursday nights in 2006 was to work strategically to make Thursdays a night for NFL football in the mold of what Monday and Sunday nights mean to millions of fans across the country," said New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, chairman of the league's broadcast committee.
“We’ve made great strides since that point, and growing the base of games with CBS, now with NBC, and soon with digital streaming will only help us solidify this night in the consciousness of NFL fans here and globally."
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