FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, November 15th, 2016
2 DAYS UNTIL “THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL” DEBUTS ON NBC – CAROLINA PANTHERS HOST NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Al Michaels & Cris Collinsworth in the Booth, Joined By Sideline Reporter Heather Cox
Bob Costas, Tony Dungy & Rodney Harrison on Location for Football Night in Carolina Pregame Show Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC
NBC’s Thursday Night Football Features New Theme Music, Show Open & Graphics
NBC is Only Network with Two NFL Primetime Packages
STAMFORD, Conn. – November 15, 2016 – The only network with two primetime NFL packages, NBC debuts Thursday Night Football this Thursday, November 17, when Cam Newton and the NFC Champion Carolina Panthers host Drew Brees and the division rival New Orleans Saints. Coverage starts at 7:30 p.m. ET with Football Night in Carolina on NBC.
The Saints defeated the Panthers 41-38 in Week 6, with rookie Wil Lutz kicking the game-winning 52-yard field goal with 11 seconds remaining. Brees passed for 465 yards and four touchdowns, marking his NFL-record 15th career game with more than 400 passing yards. Brees ranks second in the NFL with 2,992 yards passing, and is tied for the top spot in touchdown passes this season (24).
The Panthers look to rebound from a 20-17 loss to the Chiefs in Week 10, where Newton became the first player in NFL history with more than 20,000 pass yards (20,257) and 3,000 rush yards (3,486) in his first six seasons. Panthers TE Greg Olsen leads NFL tight ends with 50 catches and 712 receiving yards, while LB Luke Kuechly is second in the NFC with 88 tackles.
Calling Saints-Panthers are seven-time Emmy Award-winner Al Michaels (play-by-play) and 16-time Emmy Award-winner Cris Collinsworth, joined by sideline reporter Heather Cox.
Bob Costas, a 27-time Sports Emmy winner, will serve as the host of the Football Night in Carolina pregame show from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., and will be joined on-site by Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy and two-time Super Bowl champion Rodney Harrison.
Sam Flood is executive producer of NBC Sports and NBCSN. Fred Gaudelli is the executive producer of NBC’s Sunday Night Football and Thursday Night Football. Drew Esocoff is director of SNF and TNF. Rob Hyland is coordinating producer of Thursday Night Football.
NBC’s THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL FEATURES NEW THEME MUSIC, SHOW OPEN & GRAPHICS
Grammy Award-winning and multi-platinum recording artist Pentatonix will perform the Thursday Night Football show open. The show open celebrates the start of the NFL weekend, with game highlights and player cameos. For more information, click here.
The new Thursday Night Football theme music was composed and produced by Grammy Award-nominated producer and songwriter Jimmy Greco, and features the string section from the orchestra of Tony Award-winning Broadway blockbuster Hamilton under the direction of violinist and Hamilton concertmaster Jonathan Dinklage. The new music – entitled “Can’t Hold Us Down” – is a high energy, melodic piece combining a modern pop musical arrangement, mixed with a traditional anthemic feeling found in classic sports themes. For more information, click here.
In addition, TNF on NBC will feature a new graphics package, defined by bright colors, highly energized motion design and vibrant neon trimmed logos. The graphics package was designed to shine at its brightest in the game broadcast, extending from pre-game through to post-game, and was uniquely created to help celebrate Thursday night as the kickoff of the NFL Weekend.
NBCSPORTS.COM & NBC SPORTS APP TO LIVE STREAM THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream all of NBC’s Thursday Night Football games to desktops, tablets, and connected TVs via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to their subscription service, and making high-quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The full HD-quality video stream will come directly from NBC’s TNF broadcasts. Powered by Playmaker Media, the NBC Sports app is available on Apple iOS, Android and select Samsung devices, as well as on Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Win10, and Xbox. (NOTE: NBC Sports does not have NFL live streaming rights to mobile devices.)
NBC SPORTS THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL ALL ACCESS: NBCSports.com is providing a destination for fans dedicated to behind-the-scenes and social media driven content on their Thursday Night Football page. Fans can follow the social conversation and access content around Thursday Night Football. Fans can also get the latest video highlights, and show their passion for who they think will win each week. Visit NBC Sports TNF page at: NBCSports.com/TNF. Additional Thursday Night Football social media plans will be announced soon.
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL BUS TO VISIT CITIES OF THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL MATCH-UPS
Each week, NBC Sports Group’s Sunday Night Football bus travels the country to visit the host cities of select Sunday Night Football and Thursday Night Football games. This season, fans will get a closer look at behind-the-scenes action of TNF broadcasts on the bus, which will take fans from the field, to the studio and in the production trucks. Features of the bus include an interactive replica of the control room, a replica of the Football Night desk, life-size “Photo Bomb” wall, and more.
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 will give fans the opportunity to interact with America’s most-watched primetime television show with exclusive activities, memorabilia and a 55-inch monitor housing social media elements.
Click here for more information on the SNF bus.
NBC-produced Thursday Night Football game schedule:
| Date | Game | Network |
| Thurs. Nov. 17 | New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers | NBC, NFLN ** |
| Thurs. Dec. 1 | Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings | NBC, NFLN ** |
| Thurs. Dec. 8 | Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs | NBC, NFLN ** |
| Thurs. Dec. 15 | Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks | NBC, NFLN ** |
| Sat., Dec. 17 | Miami Dolphins at New York Jets | NFLN |
| Thurs. Dec. 22 | New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles | NBC, NFLN ** |
| Sun., Dec. 25 | Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers | NFLN |
** Live streamed on Twitter, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app
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–
