FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 29th, 2019

NBC SPORTS CELEBRATES NFL’S 100TH SEASON WITH EXPANSIVE COVERAGE

Primetime Television’s No. 1 Show for Unprecedented Eight Consecutive Years, NBC’s Sunday Night Football Returns for 2019 Season with Blockbuster Kickoff Weekend Games

Football Night in America, Most-Watched Weekly Studio Show in Sports, Premieres from Soldier Field in Chicago

PFT Live to Broadcast Live from Chicago

Mike Florio, Peter King, Tim Layden, and Chris Simms to Provide Extensive Digital Coverage of NFL Kickoff

Redesigned Rotoworld Ready for Blitz of Fantasy Drafts

New Podcast Episodes of The Peter King Podcast, PFT PM, Chris Simms Unbuttoned & Rotoworld Football Debut Every Week

STAMFORD, Conn. – August 29, 2019 – The NFL’s historic 100th season begins one week from today, and NBC Sports has lined up a comprehensive slate of content across its unprecedented portfolio of assets that will surround football fans and generate buzz for NFL Kickoff. The first game of the season features one of the league’s all-time great rivalries as Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers travel to historic Soldier Field to face Mitch Trubisky and the Chicago Bears on Thursday, Sept. 5, at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.

Sunday Night Football: NBC’s Sunday Night Football returns this season after finishing the 2018-19 TV season as primetime’s #1 TV show in all key metrics for an unprecedented eighth consecutive year.

Football Night in America: Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports since 2006, will premiere on-site from Solder Field in Chicago this Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

In addition to SNF and FNIA, here is a listing of NBC Sports’ expansive NFL coverage, followed by a more detailed description of each:

  • NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream all NBC SNFgames to desktops, tablets, mobile devices and connected TVs via “TV Everywhere;”
  • Daily studio coverage on NBCSN with PFT Live; insider NFL knowledge from NBC Sports’ Peter King via his Football Morning in America column and podcast; multi-platform content from Chris Simms;
  • Expansive podcast programming featuring top NFL players and personalities;
  • Daily radio coverage on more than 300 NBC Sports Radio affiliates across the United States;
  • Local team coverage on seven NBC Sports Regional Networks;
  • Comprehensive fantasy football coverage online through com; and additional content across NBC Sports’ digital and social media channels.

2019 marks NBC’s 14th consecutive season as the premier primetime broadcast home of the NFL. In the Sep. 8 opener of Sunday Night Football, – America’s No. 1 primetime television show for an unprecedented eight consecutive years – New England will raise its sixth Super Bowl banner at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., before Tom Brady and the Patriots host Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

All 18 scheduled NBC SNF games feature at least one 2018 playoff team (Week 17 game TBD) – up from 14 such matchups last year. Nine contests feature both clubs from the 2018 postseason. In addition to kicking off the 2019 NFL season, NBC will also broadcast a Divisional Playoff game on the weekend of January 11-12, and a Wild Card Playoff game on the January 4-5 weekend.

NBC TO BROADCAST 23 NFL GAMES IN 2019: As part of the agreement NBC signed with the NFL in December 2011, the network will broadcast 19 regular-season games, including 17 regular-season Sunday Night Football games, NFL Kickoff 2019, and the annual Thanksgiving night game. NBC’s original Sunday Night Football agreement, which began in 2006, included 17 regular-season games. It was increased to 18 games in 2010. NBC will broadcast a Divisional Playoff game and a Wild Card Playoff game.

NFL KICKOFF 2019 AND SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

The NFL opens the regular season on Thursday, Sept. 5, at 8:20 p.m. ET, with NFL Kickoff 2019 on NBC, as Khalil Mack and the defending NFC North-champion Bears host Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Packers-Bears is the most-played rivalry in NFL history, with the Kickoff game marking the 199th meeting between the clubs (first game was Nov. 27, 1921). Coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. ET with a special edition of Football Night in America.

Sunday Night Football kicks off on Sunday, Sept. 8, at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., as the Patriots face the Steelers. The Roethlisberger-Brady meeting in Week 1 is the first of an NBC SNF schedule packed with star-studded quarterback matchups.

Al Michaels (play-by-play), in his record 34th season as the voice of the NFL’s premier primetime package; 16-time Emmy Award-winner Cris Collinsworth; three-time Emmy Award-winning sideline reporter Michele Tafoya; and rules analyst and three-time Super Bowl referee Terry McAulay call Steelers-Titans. NBC’s coverage of NFL Kickoff 2019 and Sunday Night Football is led by executive producer Fred Gaudelli and director Drew EsocoffSunday Night Football is the first show ever to win 10 Sports Emmys in the Outstanding Live Sports Series category. SNF has earned the honor 10 of the past 11 years.

For the seventh consecutive year, country music superstar Carrie Underwood will star in the NBC SNF show open, and welcomes Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Joan Jett, who makes an appearance during Underwood’s performance. The all-new show open nods to the first NBC SNF open in 2006 featuring a new rendition of the original “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night” music.

FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA

Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports since its 2006 debut, will be on-site from Soldier Field, with host Mike Tirico, analysts Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, Chris Simms and NFL insider Mike Florio. Kathryn Tappen will report from the NFL’s Kickoff activities from Grant Park in Chicago.

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, mobile devices 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. This marks the first season that NBC Sports is able to live stream to mobile devices and on PlayStation 4. 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, PlayStation and Xbox.

PETER KING’S NFL COLUMN “FOOTBALL MORNING IN AMERICA” DEBUTS EVERY MONDAY EXCLUSIVELY ON NBCSPORTS.COM

A new “Football Morning in America” will post every Monday morning exclusively on NBCSports.com. King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group last year that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com, making regular appearances on NBCSN’s and NBC Sports Radio’s PFT Live with Florio, and continuing to contribute to Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.

NBC Sports recently premiered King’s Football Morning in America Camp Tour, a two-episode television special chronicling his visits to NFL training camps, on NBCSN. Both episodes feature dozens of interviews with high-profile players, coaches, and executives, as well as revealing insights and unique experiences. NBCSN will present encores in the days leading up to NFL Kickoff 2019 on Saturday, Aug. 31, at 11 p.m. ET, Monday, Sept. 2, at 10 a.m. ET and Wednesday, Sept. 4, at Noon ET.

CHRIS SIMMS UNBUTTONED

NBC Sports’ Chris Simms examines everything happening in the NFL and around the sports world. Along with a rotation of NBC Sports hosts including Ahmed Fareed, Paul Burmeister and Liam McHugh, Chris Simms Unbuttoned analyses the NFL with in-depth Xs and Os breakdowns; one-on-one interviews with players, coaches and executives; and game recaps and preview.

Simms will be on-site at Chicago’s Soldier Field as a part of the Football Night in America crew when the Bears host Green Bay on Thursday, Sept. 5, to kick off the NFL season. On Unbuttoned on Friday, Sept. 6, Simms will recap the kickoff game and preview the rest of Week 1 alongside Mike Florio.

ROTOWORLD

Rotoworld offers comprehensive fantasy football coverage throughout the 2019 NFL season across NBC Sports’ platforms. The all-new 2019 Rotoworld Fantasy Football Draft Guide, which includes mobile optimization, an updated website design, and improved tools, is now available for purchase on Rotoworld.com. For the first time, Rotoworld experts, alongside eight draft guide users, will be playing out the fantasy league that was drafted during this year’s Live Mock Draft special. In addition, Rotoworld experts dive into fan questions when “Rotoworld Live” returns next Sunday, Sept. 8 at Noon ET on the NBC Sports app and YouTube.com/NBCSports. Rotoworld also presents comprehensive fantasy content, including a panel of experts answering fans’ questions on Twitch three times a week, a Waiver Wire Q&A (Tuesdays), a DFS Q&A (Thursdays), and a Rankings Q&A (Fridays). Readers can also now find Rotoworld player news and columns, and follow their favorite players and teams in the NBC Sports Scores app.

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. Peter King will also contribute regularly to PFT Live’s coverage throughout the regular season. Beginning next Wednesday through Friday, Florio will kick off the NFL season on-site in Chicago with Simms.

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.

PODCASTS

NBC Sports’ football podcasts provide extensive weekly offerings from NBC Sports’ most popular personalities and present special guests, exclusive interviews, and robust conversations across all of football on The Peter King Podcast, Chris Simms Unbuttoned, PFT PM, and Rotoworld Football. While The Peter King Podcast features intimate discussions with the NFL’s top players, Chris Simms Unbuttoned and PFT PM dive into deep conversations around the sports’ hottest topics, and Rotoworld Football explores fantasy implications for fans. For the first time this season, Rotoworld Football will debut four episodes per week, including a new Sunday night episode diving into the weekend’s results. In addition, The Mike Tirico Podcast will debut new episodes throughout the 2019 NFL season featuring exclusive interviews with the league’s top players and personalities. New episodes of NBC Sports podcasts are available for download each week on all major podcast platforms including: NBCSports.com/podcasts, NBC Sports’ Scores app, Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn and iHeart.


SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SOCIAL MEDIA

  • SNF ON INSTAGRAM: Going into its seventh 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
  • SNF ON TWITTER: Using tweets, photos, and videos, @SNFonNBC provides unique content with SNF talent, production crew and NFL players.
  • 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.
  • SNF ON FACEBOOK: – At nearly 3.7 million likes strong, the Sunday Night Football Facebook page provides social-first stories, photos and video every week.

NBC SPORTS RADIO

NBC Sports Radio, produced and distributed by Westwood One in partnership with NBC Sports Group, is carried by more than 300 affiliates nationwide. Programming is available on radio stations throughout the United States, as well as on NBCSportsRadio.com, NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports Scores app, and on the websites of affiliates. Content includes hourly sports news updates, daily features, and is highlighted by PFT Live, featuring NFL insider and Football Night In America commentator Mike Florio daily from 6-9 a.m. ET; the PFT PM podcast hosted by Florio, which takes a look back at the day that was in the NFL; Safety Blitz with Rodney Harrison and Dan Schwartzman; featuring three-time All Pro and two-time Super Bowl-winner Rodney Harrison; and The Daily Line, NBC Sports Radio’s daily sports talk and betting show that airs M-F 3-7 p.m. ET and features special guests and content for casual and avid sports fans. Fans can follow  @NBCSportsRadio to listen live or on demand, or 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 2019 NFL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most in more than 40 million U.S. households.

NBC Sports Chicago presents unparalleled local coverage of this year’s NFL Kickoff game featuring all-day multiplatform coverage on NBCSportsChicago.com and the “MyTeams by NBC Sports” app. Game night coverage begins Thursday, Sept. 5 at 5 p.m. CT with special remote editions of SportsTalk Live and Primetime Preshow taking place in Chicago’s Grant Park as part of the 2019 NFL Kickoff Experience.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL BUS RETURNS FOR 2019 NFL SEASON 

NBC Sports’ Sunday Night Football bus returns this season to travel the country, visiting the host cities of each Sunday Night Football game. In addition, the SNF Bus will also visit markets along the route without an SNF game on the schedule to give more fans a chance to join in on the experience. The bus will arrive in each host 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 and experiences.

For the first time ever, fans will be able to record content on the bus to share directly to their social platforms, with new experiences including augmented reality mirrors in the locker room and a green screen booth to replicate the iconic player intros in the SNF broadcast.

In addition, fan favorites returning to the bus include the official Player of the Game Ball signed at the end of every SNF matchup, a replica Football Night in America desk, and a brand new On Her Turf photo experience celebrating the power of every football fan.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD & JOAN JETT

NBC’s Sunday Night Football will unveil an all-new show open with Carrie Underwood this season, with a nod to the first-ever NBC SNF open in 2006 featuring a new rendition of the original “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night” music.

Underwood, the seven-time Grammy Award-winner and multi-platinum recording artist, stars in the NBC SNF show open for the seventh consecutive year and welcomes Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Joan Jett, who makes an appearance during Underwood’s performance. Click here for a preview.

At the invitation of Underwood, Jett – whose 1988 Top 10 hit “I Hate Myself for Loving You” was adapted for the original “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night” SNF show open music in 2006 – appears for the first time in the NBC Sunday Night Football show open.

Thirteen NFL players, who have accounted for 31 Pro Bowl selections (including 10 2018 Pro Bowlers), four Super Bowl rings, and nine first-round draft picks, are in the show open. Players include Atlanta Falcons WR Julio Jones, Chicago Bears QB Mitch Trubisky, Dallas Cowboys Dak Prescott, Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield, Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes, Los Angeles Rams QB Jared Goff, Philadelphia Eagles TE Zach Ertz, and more. For the first time in the series’ 14 seasons, the SNF show open was filmed inside an NFL stadium, with Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons, serving as the “stage.” More information is available here.

NBC’S
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL IS PRIMETIME TELEVISION’S NO. 1 SHOW FOR RECORD EIGHT CONSECUTIVE YEARS: NBC’s Sunday Night Football finished the 2018-19 TV season as primetime’s #1 TV show in all key metrics for an unprecedented eighth consecutive year – adding to its record for the most consecutive years atop the charts (since 1950), based on official live plus same day data provided by Nielsen. Sunday Night Football also ranked as the No. 1 show in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic for the ninth consecutive TV season. In addition, in May at the Sports Emmy Awards for excellence in sports television production, Sunday Night Football became the first show ever to win 10 Sports Emmys in the Outstanding Live Sports Series category. SNF has earned the honor in 10 of the past 11 years.

2019 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Thurs. Sept. 5 NFL Kickoff  Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears
Sun. Sept. 8 Week 1   Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots
Sun. Sept. 15 Week 2   Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons
Sun. Sept. 22 Week 3   Los Angeles Rams at Cleveland Browns
Sun. Sept. 29 Week 4 Dallas Cowboys at New Orleans Saints
*Sun. Oct. 6 Week 5   Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs
*Sun. Oct. 13 Week 6 Pittsburgh Steelers at Los Angeles Chargers
*Sun. Oct. 20 Week 7 Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys
*Sun. Oct. 27 Week 8 Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs
*Sun. Nov. 3 Week 9 New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens
*Sun. Nov. 10 Week 10 Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys
*Sun. Nov. 17 Week 11  Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Rams
*Sun. Nov. 24 Week 12 Seattle Seahawks at Philadelphia Eagles
**Thurs. Nov. 28 Week 13 New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons
*Sun. Dec. 1 Week 13 New England Patriots at Houston Texans
*Sun. Dec. 8 Week 14 Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams
*Sun. Dec. 15 Week 15 Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Chargers
*Sun. Dec. 22 Week 16 Kansas City Chiefs at Chicago Bears
*Sun. Dec. 29 Week 17 TBD

*Flex Week

** Thanksgiving Night Game

FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING: Flexible scheduling will be used in Weeks 11-17. Additionally, in Weeks 5-10, flexible scheduling may be used in no more than two weeks. In Weeks 5-16, 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 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 December 29. 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 prime time.

– SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL –