FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, January 6th, 2016

RUSSELL WILSON & SEATTLE SEAHAWKS VISIT ADRIAN PETERSON & MINNESOTA VIKINGS IN NBC’S NFL WILD CARD GAME THIS SUN., JAN. 10, AT 1 PM ET

Coverage Begins with Special Edition of Football Night In America at Noon ET on NBC

NBC Sports Live Extra to Live Stream Seahawks-Vikings

NBC UNIVERSO to Air Seahawks-Vikings Wild Card Playoff Game to Spanish-Language Homes Across America

NBC’s Sunday Night Football Posts Its Most-Watched, Highest-Rated Season Ever

Tonight’s Episode of NFL Turning Point at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN Highlights Vikings NFC North Title Battle with Packers

Pro Football Talk Weekdays at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN

STAMFORD, Conn. – January 6, 2016 – NBC kicks off its coverage of the 2015 NFL playoffs this Sunday, Jan. 10, at 1 p.m. ET with an NFC Wild Card matchup, when Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks (NFC West, 10-6) visit Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings (NFC North, 11-5) at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. NBC’s NFL Wild Card coverage on Saturday begins at Noon ET with a special edition of Football Night In America.

The game will mark the first outdoor NFL playoff game in Minnesota since the Vikings won the 1976 NFC Championship Game (December 26, 1976, 24-13 over the Los Angeles Rams). That game, played at Metropolitan Stadium, had a kickoff temperature of 12 degrees Fahrenheit.

Last week on NBC’s Sunday Night Football, the Vikings clinched the NFC North title with a 20-13 win over the rival Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. The Vikings led the Packers 13-3 in the third quarter, before cornerback Captain Munnerlyn returned a fumble 55 yards for the game-winning points. Peterson, who ran for a touchdown in Sunday’s game, won his third NFL rushing title, finishing the season with 1,485 yards.

Wilson set two franchise records for the two-time defending NFC Champion Seahawks in their 36-6 win against the Cardinals last Sunday, passing for the most yards (4,024) and touchdowns (34) in a single season. In December, the last meeting between the two teams, Seattle defeated Minnesota 38-7.

Calling Seahawks-Vikings are seven-time Emmy Award-winner Al Michaels (play-by-play), in his record 30th season as the voice of the NFL’s premier primetime package; 16-time Emmy Award-winner Cris Collinsworth, who has won the Emmy for Outstanding Event Analyst in each of his six seasons in the Sunday Night Football booth; and two-time Emmy Award-winning sideline reporter Michele Tafoya.

Collinsworth played in the second-coldest NFL game on record as his Cincinnati Bengals won the 1981 AFC Championship Game 27-7 over the San Diego Chargers. That game, known as the “Freezer Bowl,” was played at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati with a kickoff temperature of -9 degrees (-59 degrees with windchill).

NBC’s coverage of Sunday Night Football is led by Emmy Award-winning producer Fred Gaudelli and Emmy Award-winning director Drew Esocoff.

Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports, is hosted by 26-time Emmy Award-winner Bob Costas, who will report from TFC Bank Stadium. Costas will be joined on site by Collinsworth, Tafoya, and two-time Super Bowl winner Hines Ward.

Dan Patrick co-hosts Football Night from NBC Sports Group’s International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn., joined by Super Bowl-winning head coach Tony Dungy, two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney HarrisonMike Florio of Pro Football Talk on NBCSN and NBCSports.com, and NFL Insider Peter King.


NBC UNIVERSO TO TELEVISE SEAHAWKS-VIKINGS IN SPANISH

NBC UNIVERSO continues its “La NFL en NBC UNIVERSO” package this weekend, presenting this weekend’s Seahawks-Vikings Wild Card game in Spanish. In addition, NBC UNIVERSO will present Spanish language coverage of next week’s Divisional Playoff game in Arizona. Rene GiraldoEdgar Lopez and Veronica Contreras will call the action for NBC UNIVERSO.

NBC’S SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL POSTS ITS MOST-WATCHED, HIGHEST-RATED SEASON EVER & IS ON PACE TO BE TV’S #1 PRIMETIME SHOW FOR HISTORIC 5TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

NBC’s 10th season of Sunday Night Football in 2015 was both record-setting and memorable, wrapping up this past Sunday night as NBC’s most-watched and highest-rated SNF season ever, and on pace to rank as primetime television’s #1 show for the fifth consecutive year, based on live plus same day data provided by The Nielsen Company.

NBC’s Sunday Night Football averaged 22.5 million viewers in 2015 – the best viewership ever forSNF on NBC, and tops for the NFL’s premier primetime package in 19 years (22.7 million for ABC’sMNF in 1996)SNF viewership increased 6% from last season (21.3 million viewers), and outpaced its nearest primetime competitor by 28% in the fall. Click here for more information.

ROTOWORLD.COM ANNOUNCES TOP 50 MOST-TRAFFICKED FANTASY ATHLETES OF 2015

Rotoworld, the internet’s highest-trafficked fantasy sports information site and the industry leader in fantasy sports information, announced its most-trafficked athletes of 2015 this week, with the debut of the Rotoworld Top 50. The Top 50 list features 47 members of NFL teams and three NBA players. Running backs make up 33 of the 47 NFL players featured on the list. In addition, nine of the 47 NFL players are rookies. The five most-trafficked NFL players for the year were:

  1. Arian Foster
  2. Marshawn Lynch
  3. Alshon Jeffery
  4. T.J. Yeldon
  5. Matt Forte

Click here for more information.

NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA

For the eighth consecutive season, NBC Sports will live stream the entire Sunday Night Football schedule. NBC Sports’ “TV Everywhere” live streaming product, NBC Sports Live Extra, will stream all SNF games to desktops, tablets and connected TVs. The full HD-quality video stream will come directly from NBC’s broadcast of SNF. (NOTE: NBC Sports Digital does not have NFL live streaming rights to mobile devices.)

For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app is available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store and Apple TV.


SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
 DIGITAL COVERAGE

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL ALL-ACCESSFor the sixth straight season, and with a new look and feel, NBCSports.com is providing a destination for fans dedicated to behind-the-scenes and social media driven content of Sunday Night Football. SNF All-Access includes exclusive photos and videos of the Sunday Night Football production team, look-ins on SNF production meetings, Michele Tafoya’s “Ten With Tafoya” interviews with key NFL players, and conversations with SNF and FNIA talent.

Visit SNF All-Access at: http://snfallaccess.nbcsports.com/

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SOCIAL MEDIA: NBC Sports Group’s comprehensive social media coverage includes the Sunday Night Football Facebook page, providing exclusive behind-the-scenes SNF content and digital content from NBCSports.comSNF All AccessProFootballTalk.com, and Rotoworld.com@SNFonNBC, using tweets, photos, Vines and videos & real-time tweets from Michele Tafoya, and a look at SNF through the filters of Instagram.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL BUS: NBC Sports Group’s all-new Sunday Night Football bus returns this season to travel the country visiting the Sunday Night Football host cities. The bus will arrive in each city two to three days prior to the game, making stops at local landmarks and events before heading to the game site. Once at the stadium, the Sunday Night Football bus brings fans from the field to the studio set, featuring football field decaling on the floor, a welcome reel with the SNF production team looking back on 10 years of SNF, and replica of the Football Night in America studio available for fan photos, complete with a GIF photo booth which takes a series of pictures and compiles them into a sharable GIF.  Fans can digitally follow the Sunday Night Football bus atNBCSports.com/FollowSNF.

“THE SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:” For the fourth consecutive season NBC Sports will present the “Player of the Game Sunday Night Football,” a custom made football from Wilson, which will travel with the SNF crew all season long. At the end of each SNF game, the ball will be signed by the player of the game. Photos, video and stories around the “Player of the Game Sunday Night Football,” and its travels will live on Facebook, Twitter, NBCSports.com/FollowSNF, and SNFAllAccess.com.

For more information on Sunday Night Football’s comprehensive digital coverage, click here.


VIKINGS NFC NORTH CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AGAINST PACKERS HEADLINES NEW EPISODE OF NFL TURNING POINT TONIGHT AT 11:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Tonight’s all new edition of NFL Turning Point, debuting tomorrow at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, breaks down QB Teddy Bridgewater and the Minnesota Vikings’ NFC North title matchup with QB Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers; highlights QB Peyton Manning’s heroic return to the Denver Broncos during Sunday’s game against the San Diego Chargers; reviews QB Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ playoff-clinching win over the Cleveland Browns; and examines DE J.J. Watt’s impact on the Houston Texans.

Hosted by Football Night In America’s Dan Patrick, the 30-minute long NFL Turning Point, co-produced by NFL Films, airs weekly throughout the entire NFL season, including the playoffs and Super Bowl.

Click here for more information on tonight’s episode.


PRO FOOTBALL TALK 
ON NBCSN WEEKNIGHTS AT 6 P.M. ET

Two-time Super Bowl champion and veteran Football Night In America studio analyst Rodney Harrison joins co-hosts Mike Florio and Paul Burmeister every weekday throughout the 2015 season on NBCSN’s Pro Football Talk.

Pro Football Talk airs weekdays at 6 p.m. ET. The 30-minute Pro Football Talk provides all-encompassing coverage of the NFL, including the most current news and analysis, thought-provoking debates, and interviews with a wide variety of NFL newsmakers.

Click here for more info on Pro Football Talk.


FANTASY FOOTBALL LIVE
ON NBCSN TUESDAY – THURSDAY NIGHTS, 6:30 P.M. ET

Now in its third season on NBCSN, Fantasy Football Live combines the best fantasy football expertise from Yahoo Sports and NBC Sports, including unique metrics from Yahoo Sports’ leading fantasy football platform, and full integration with NBC Sports’ premier fantasy sports information site, Rotoworld.com.

The 30-minute, multi-platform fantasy football program airs Tuesdays through Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN during the NFL regular season. Fantasy Football Live is hosted by NBC Sports’ Dave Briggs, and features a roster of NBC Sports, Rotoworld and Yahoo Sports fantasy analysts, including NBCSN’s Kay Adams, NBC Sports NFL analysts Brian WestbrookJon Ritchie and Ross Tucker, and Yahoo Sports’ Brad Evans, Brandon Funston and Andy Behrens.

NBC SPORTS RADIO

NBC Sports Radio will surround the 2015 NFL season with daily coverage across more than 425 radio affiliates, highlighted by Safety Blitz with Rodney Harrison; featuring three-time All Pro and two-time Super Bowl-winner Rodney Harrison; the Amani Toomer and Dan Schartzman Show; and Pro Football Talk Live, featuring NFL insider and Football Night In America commentator Mike Florio.

To listen to a live stream of NBC Sports Radio, or find your local affiliate, visit www.NBCSportsRadio.com.


NBC SPORTS REGIONAL NETWORKS

NBC Sports Regional Networks, which serve top NFL markets such as New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Houston and San Francisco, will surround the 2015 NFL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most in more than 50 million U.S. cable and satellite households.

Follow “Sunday Night Football” on Twitter @SNFonNBC

Follow NBC SportsTalk on Twitter @NBCSportsTalk

Become a fan of “Sunday Night Football” on Facebook at: Facebook.com/SNFonNBC

Visit SNF All-Access at: http://snfallaccess.nbcsports.com/

For more information about NBC Sports Group shows and properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com

–NBC SPORTS GROUP–