Thursday Night Football will air on both CBS and NBC next season. The NFL has agreed to a two-year deal with the networks, the league announced on Monday. CBS had broadcast games in partnership with NFL Network the past two seasons.
Reportedly the deals are worth $450m for 10 games, five each on CBS and NBC. CBS paid $300m for eight games in 2015. The new contracts for 2016 and 2017 increase the number of games on traditional broadcast TV by two. They will again be simulcast on NFL Network.
“Our mission when we first put games on Thursday nights in 2006 was to work strategically to make Thursdays a night for NFL football in the mold of what Monday and Sunday nights mean to millions of fans across the country,” said Robert Kraft, chairman of the NFL’s broadcast committee. “We’ve made great strides since that point, and growing the base of games with CBS, now with NBC, and soon with digital streaming will only help us solidify this night in the consciousness of NFL fans here and globally.”
NFL Network will still televise eight games exclusively, which will include late-season Saturday match-ups and other to-be-determined games. The league is also negotiating with digital companies for a separate streaming rights deal, which will be announced soon.
The NFL launched Thursday Night Football on the NFL Network in 2006 with eight games, a number that grew to 13 by 2012. In 2014, the league partnered with CBS for a 16-game slate — half simulcast on CBS and NFL Network and half solely on NFL Network.
CBS will broadcast the first half of the season and NBC the second. Both networks will use their top broadcasting teams and contribute to the production of the NFL Network-only games.
