FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, February 1st, 2016

NBC ACQUIRES NFL THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Thursday Night Football is the perfect complement to Sunday Night Football, America’s #1 primetime television program. We are incredibly excited to add this important property to our #1 ranked primetime schedule.” – Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBC Sports Group

Highlights:

  • NBC will become the first network to present multiple primetime NFL packages in the same season. NBC Sports Group’s Thursday Night Football package – a two-year agreement — features five new Thursday night games on NBC, which will be simulcast on NFL Network.
  • NBC Sports Group – the home of Sunday Night Football, which is on pace to be television’s No. 1 primetime show for a historic fifth consecutive year – will debut its Thursday Night Football package in Week 11 (Nov. 17, 2016) on NBC, one week prior to NBC’s traditional Thanksgiving night NFL telecast.
  • NBC will now air seven primetime NFL games on Thursday nightsfive in the new TNF package plus the Thursday night “NFL Kickoff” game on Sept. 8 and the Thanksgiving night NFL game (Nov. 24).
  • NBC, which produced the first-ever NFL broadcast on Oct. 22, 1939 (Philadelphia Eagles-Brooklyn Dodgers from Ebbets Field), will televise a total of 28 games in 2016: 19 primetime games in the Sunday Night Football package, including the “NFL Kickoff” game and the Thanksgiving night primetime game, five primetime TNF games, a 2016 NFL Wild Card Playoff game (in Jan. 2017), a 2016 NFL Divisional Playoff game (in Jan. 2017), and two NFL preseason games.
  • Similar to Sunday Night Football, NBC Sports Digital will live stream NBC’s Thursday Night Football NBC Sports’ “TV Everywhere” live streaming product, NBC Sports Live Extra, will stream the NBC TNF games to desktops, tablets and connected TVs. The full HD-quality video stream will come directly from NBC’s broadcast of TNF. 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, Apple TV and Amazon Fire. (NOTE: NBC Sports Digital does not have NFL live streaming rights to mobile devices.)
  • Last month, Sunday Night Football completed its 10th season on NBC averaging 22.5 million viewers, which is the best ever for SNF on NBC and the highest viewership for the NFL’s premier primetime package in 19 years. The record-setting season puts Sunday Night Football on pace to be primetime’s #1 show for the fifth consecutive full TV season – a feat accomplished by only three other TV shows since 1950. SNF has ranked No. 1 among Adults 18-49 for eight consecutive fall TV seasons.

Most Consecutive Years, #1 Ranked Show in Primetime, Since 1950

6 years in a rowAmerican Idol (2005-06 through 2010-11)

5 years in a row – Sunday Night Football (2011-12 through 2015-16 **on pace**

5 years in a rowThe Cosby Show (1985-86 through 1989-90)…tied Cheers in ‘89-90

5 years in a rowAll in the Family (1971-72 through 1975-76)

4 years in a rowGunsmoke (1957-58 through 1960-61)

  • NBC’s Sunday Night Football has won 23 Sports Emmys in its first 9 seasons on NBC (season 10 just completed).  NBC’s Sunday Night Football won the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Live Sports Series in six of its nine seasons, winning an unprecedented six consecutive years (2008-13). No other Live Sports Series has won the honor more than three years in a row.
  • Sunday Night Football coordinating producer Fred Gaudelli has won 19 Sports Emmy Awards.
  • Sunday Night Football director Drew Esocoff has won 11 Sports Emmy Awards.
  • Al Michaels has won seven Emmy Awards – six for Outstanding Sports Personality – Play-by-Play and one in 2011 for the Lifetime Achievement Award.
  • Cris Collinsworth has won the Emmy for Outstanding Sports Personality-Sports Event Analyst in all six of his seasons (2009-14) on Sunday Night Football.  He won has won the award for seven consecutive years (2008 in NFL Network & NBC booth) and has 16 career Sports Emmys. Collinsworth was in the booth for the first game in the history of the Thursday Night Football package (Thanksgiving night 2006 on NFL Network – Denver at Kansas City).

–NBC SPORTS GROUP—