FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 6th, 2017

TOMORROW AT 7:30 PM ET! NBC SPORTS OPENS NFL SEASON WITH NFL KICKOFF 2017 AS SUPER BOWL CHAMPION NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS HOST KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Dallas Cowboys Host New York Giants on Season Debut of Sunday Night Football This Sunday – Coverage Begins with Football Night In America at 7 p.m. ET on NBC

Debut of Carrie Underwood’s 2017 Edition of “Oh, Sunday Night” Airs Prior to Giants-Cowboys

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports App to Live Stream All Sunday Night Football Games to Desktops, Tablets, and Connected TVs

STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 6, 2017 – NBC Sports kicks off its season-long coverage of the 2017 NFL season with NFL Kickoff 2017 tomorrow, Thursday, September 7, when Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots host Alex Smith and the AFC West champion Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. Coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. ET with a special edition of Football Night in America. Tomorrow’s game marks the 200th regular-season game of the NBC Sunday Night Football package. NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will live stream all NBC NFL games this season to desktops, tablets, and connected TVs.

In this Sunday’s season opener of Sunday Night Football – America’s No. 1 primetime television show for a record six consecutive years – 2016 Offensive Rookie of the Year Dak Prescott and the NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys host two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning and the New York Giants from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Sunday night opener marks the 11th meeting between the Giants and Cowboys in NBC’s SNF package – the most-played matchup in the show’s history (since 2006). Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.

Calling both matchups is Al Michaels (play-by-play), in his record 32nd season as the voice of the NFL’s premier primetime package; 16-time Emmy Award-winner Cris Collinsworth; and two-time Emmy Award-winning sideline reporter Michele Tafoya. NBC’s coverage of NFL Kickoff 2017 and Sunday Night Football is led by executive producer Fred Gaudelli and Drew EsocoffSunday Night Football has won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Sports Series in eight of the last nine years.

Seven-time Grammy Award-winner and multi-platinum recording artist Carrie Underwood will perform Oh, Sunday Night, the opening theme for Sunday Night Football. The 2017 edition will debut on Sunday, Sept. 10, prior to NBC’s first SNF broadcast of the 2017 NFL season. This marks the second season that Oh, Sunday Night will serve as the theme for Sunday Night Football.

Football Night in America is hosted by Mike Tirico, who will report from Gillette Stadium on Thursday, and AT&T Stadium on Sunday. Dan Patrick co-hosts Football Night from Gillette Stadium on Thursday night, and from NBC Sports Group’s Studio 1 on Sunday night. Patrick will be joined by Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Dungy, two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison, and Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com and PFT Live on NBCSN and NBC Sports Radio. Paul Burmeister will report from Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., on the Eagles-Packers game on Sunday.

NBCSPORTS.COM & NBC SPORTS APP TO LIVE STREAM ALL NBC NFL GAMES

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream all NBC 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 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.)


PFT LIVE
– WEEKDAYS AT 7 A.M. ET ON NBCSN

Mike Florio and co-host Chris Simms bring fans the latest NFL news and interviews with players and coaches every weekday morning with PFT Live on NBCSN at 7 a.m. ET.  The two-hour PFT Live 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. The program is a simulcast of NBC Sports Radio’s PFT Live national program that airs daily beginning at 6 a.m. ET.


SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
 SOCIAL MEDIA

  • SNF ON FACEBOOK:  – At nearly 3.5 million LIKES strong, the Sunday Night Football Facebook page provides social-first stories, photos and video every week. In addition, the SNF Facebook page will feature weekly Facebook Live interviews with Michele Tafoya and player from each team leading up to the game, and Facebook Live Q&A’s with Tony Dungy on Sundays.
  • SNF ON TWITTER:  Using tweets, photos, and videos, @SNFonNBC provides unique content with SNF talent, production crew and NFL players. Additionally, Michele Tafoya will provide real-time tweets from the sideline to provide followers with updates all game long.
  • SNF ON INSTAGRAM: Going into its sixth season, Sunday Night Football gives the SNF fan a look at photos through the filters of Instagram. Fans get a look around each SNF city, as well as access inside the production trucks, the locker rooms, on the field and on the sideline, as our social media producer captures the best photos of Sunday night and posts in real time. In addition, SNF on Instagram will utilize Instagram stories to maximize fans’ exposure to the Sunday Night Football footprint.
  • SNF ON SNAPCHAT: For the second season, NBC Sports’ Snapchat account will be creating content on the platform at each Sunday Night Football game, including Kickoff and from the SNF The NBC Sports Snapchat account will take fans behind the scenes to the FNIA set and around cities where Sunday Night Football comes to town, utilizing lenses and filters to customize content specifically for the Snapchat audience.

 

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL BUS RETURNS FOR 2017 NFL SEASON 

NBC Sports Group’s Sunday Night Football bus returns this season to travel the country, visiting the host cities of select Sunday Night Football games. The bus will bring the Vince Lombardi Trophy to various SNF locations, before arriving at its final destination, Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis, Minn., in February. Fans will get a closer look at behind-the-scenes action of SNF 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 in America 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.

NBC SPORTS RADIO

NBC Sports Radio will surround the 2017 NFL season with daily coverage across more than 425 radio affiliates, highlighted by PFT Live, featuring NFL insider and Football Night In America commentator Mike Florio daily from 6-9 a.m. ET; Safety Blitz with Rodney Harrison and Dan Schwartzman; featuring three-time All Pro and two-time Super Bowl-winner Rodney Harrison; Going Deep with Amani and Dan, featuring former Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer; NFL Insider Michele Tafoya; and

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, and San Francisco, will surround the 2017 NFL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most in more than 40 million U.S. households.


SNF
 IS NO. 1 PRIMETIME PROGRAM ON TELEVISION, WITH NBC/NFLN TNF RANKING NO. 2

NBC Sunday Night Football finished the 2016-17 TV season as primetime’s #1 TV show in all key metrics for a record sixth consecutive year – tying American Idol for the most consecutive years atop the charts (since 1950), based on live plus same day data provided by The Nielsen Company. NBC Sunday Night Football also ranked as the No. 1 show in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic for the seventh consecutive TV season. SNF’s six-year run at the top marks the only six times on record that a sports series has been the highest-rated and most-watched show of the primetime TV season In addition, NBC/NFL Network Thursday Night Football ranks as primetime TV’s No. 2 show in average viewers and household rating, and No. 3 among Adults 18-49.

 

2017 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Thurs. Sept. 7 NFL Kickoff  Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots
Sun. Sept. 10 Week 1   New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys
Sun. Sept. 17 Week 2   Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons
Sun. Sept. 24 Week 3   Oakland Raiders at Washington Redskins
Sun. Oct. 1 Week 4 Indianapolis Colts at Seattle Seahawks
*Sun. Oct. 8 Week 5   Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans
*Sun. Oct. 15 Week 6 New York Giants at Denver Broncos
*Sun. Oct. 22 Week 7 Atlanta Falcons at New England Patriots
*Sun. Oct. 29 Week 8 Pittsburgh Steelers at Detroit Lions
*Sun. Nov. 5 Week 9 Oakland Raiders at Miami Dolphins
*Sun. Nov. 12 Week 10 New England Patriots at Denver Broncos
*Sun. Nov. 19 Week 11  Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys
**Thurs. Nov. 23 Week 12 New York Giants at Washington Redskins
*Sun. Nov. 26 Week 12 Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers
*Sun. Dec. 3 Week 13 Philadelphia Eagles at Seattle Seahawks
*Sun. Dec. 10 Week 14 Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
*Sun. Dec. 17 Week 15 Dallas Cowboys at Oakland Raiders
Sat. Dec. 23 Week 16 Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
*Sun. Dec. 31 Week 17 TBD

 

*Flex Week

** Thanksgiving Night Game

 

2017 NBC THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE*
Thurs. Nov. 9 Week 10 Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals
Thurs. Nov. 16 Week 11   Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers
Thurs. Nov. 30 Week 13   Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys
Thurs. Dec. 7 Week 14 New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons
Thurs. Dec. 14 Week 15 Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts
**Mon. Dec. 25 Week 16 Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Texans

 

*Games will be simulcast on NFL Network and streamed live on Amazon Prime

**Game at 4:30 p.m. ET

FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING: Flexible scheduling will be used in Weeks 10-15 and 17. Additionally, in Weeks 5-9, flexible scheduling may be used in no more than two weeks. In Weeks 5-15, the schedule lists the games tentatively set for Sunday Night Football on NBC. Only Sunday afternoon games are eligible to be moved to Sunday night, in which case the tentatively scheduled Sunday night game would be moved to an afternoon start time. Flexible scheduling will not be applied to games airing on Thursday, Saturday or Monday nights.

A flexible scheduling move would be announced at least 12 days before the game. For Week 17, the Sunday night game will be announced no later than six days prior to January 1. The schedule does not list a Sunday night game in Week 17, but an afternoon game with playoff implications will be moved to that time slot. Flexible scheduling ensures quality matchups in all Sunday time slots in those weeks and gives “surprise” teams a chance to play their way into primetime.

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–