MNF to ESPN, Sunday Night on NBC

[Italian Stallion]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2040130

This will make next season very interesting

[ArcticWildMan]

STUPID move by the NFL. Many people do not have cable/satellite with ESPN. This limits the number of households that can watch MNF.

[RetroRaiders81]

Your avatar's freaking me out.

[Typ0]

STUPID move by the NFL. Many people do not have cable/satellite with ESPN. This limits the number of households that can watch MNF.


I think these games go out to the highest bidder. This is really going to help sportsbar owners and this is a move by Disney to up their penetration on cable systems.

[justasportsfan]

Any chance Madden is gone? I'm tired of him kissing Brady's butt even when the Pats aren't playing.

[lordofgun]

Does this mean the ESPN Sunday night crew will be gone???

If so, THANK YOU GOD!!!!!!!!!

:hail: God

[McGee]

Does this mean the ESPN Sunday night crew will be gone???

If so, THANK YOU GOD!!!!!!!!!

:hail: God No more Joe Theisman?! Oh, that would be great! :pray:

[BillsNick]

No more Joe Theisman?! Oh, that would be great! :pray:

:bf1: :monkeyp:
i couldn't have said that better! i friggin hate joe theisman

[DraftBoy]

STUPID move by the NFL. Many people do not have cable/satellite with ESPN. This limits the number of households that can watch MNF.


Did you see last season rating on MNF, nobody watched MNF to begin with.

[buffalofan19]

So does NBC get the Denver at Buffalo Saturday night game or does ESPN?

[lordofgun]

So does NBC get the Denver at Buffalo Saturday night game or does ESPN?
This isn't changing until 2006.

[buffalofan19]

This isn't changing until 2006.
oh ok.

[BillsSabresB.C.T. Fan]

There's only one person that I want to stay on when Sun. night football moves to NBC and that's Paul McGuire I liked him when he did his Sportsline show on Empire and plus he was a Buffalo Bill. :lol: Theisman and Patrick can leave they should get Boomer (Berman) to announce the games why not he does baseball tonight why can't he do Sunday Night NFL :question:

[The_Philster]

STUPID move by the NFL. Many people do not have cable/satellite with ESPN. This limits the number of households that can watch MNF.
true...in the participating teams' markets, there won't be a problem as
ESPN will continue to make its NFL games available on free, over-the-air television in the participating team markets each week. The new agreements thus continue the NFL's long-standing practice of making all of its games, including the playoffs and Super Bowl, available on free, over-the air television. ...I kinda wonder how all of its games are on free over-the-air TV...people outside the local markets will still be affected

Does this mean the ESPN Sunday night crew will be gone???

If so, THANK YOU GOD!!!!!!!!!

:hail: GodMaybe it means the ESPN Sunday night crew will just start broadcasting on Mondays...not to :rain: on your parade but it remains to be seen what will happen.

[Italian Stallion]

I think the sunday night crew gets the gig at NBC....Maguire worked their already, plus who else is there to get?

[The_Philster]

I think the sunday night crew gets the gig at NBC....Maguire worked their already, plus who else is there to get?

That's not a done deal...right now, they're under contract to ESPN...they don't automatically move to NBC

[Mr. Cynical]

So the big question is, who will announce? Can't lose Michaels...would love for Madden to retire....Michaels and Theisman? Ugh. Michaels and Patrick would be great, but both are play by play guys and you need a color guy. Maybe they go back to 3...Al, Dan and Paul? They could keep it the same but I'm tired of Madden.
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

[Dozerdog]

STUPID move by the NFL. Many people do not have cable/satellite with ESPN. This limits the number of households that can watch MNF.


Actually, it's a brilliant move by the NFL. Get out of the mind set that MNF is moving to ESPN. All ESPN is doing is moving their Sunday package to Monday nights. ESPN will still get second tier games - IE- Arizona vs Cincy - the only difference is that they traded time spots with what was ABC's MNF.


NBC will now inherit the "Marqee" NFL package. The same standards used to select teams for the old MNF will now be used for the Sunday game. Only teams with winning records, so on and so forth.


This gives the NFL everything they want. They wanted in the past to get a "flexible" schedule - move dud games off the old MNF and replace them with possible playoff teams late in the season. Moving a game 38 hours later was a major inconvenience to teams and fans alike. Now, if the NFL wants to do it for the Sunday Night Football, all they have to do is move a game out of prime time up 4 hours to 4 PM. Moving a game from 1 PM or 4 PM to 8 PM isn't that hard.


Also, there are some basic TV facts. 70% of the Nation has ESPN on cable, another 15% gets it via Satelite. 85% coverage wasn' t an issue when they owned the Sunday game, I don't see how it becomes an issue when they move the same games a day later.

Also, Sunday night is by far the most popular night in TV- more people watch Sunday evenings than any other night. Moving the games to a higher rated slot means higher overall ratings, which means more $$$ per commercial slot, which means more $$$ in future TV contracts. It also means the Salary cap will go up in kind.

[Dozerdog]

Also, this probably means the Bills will be on the "new" MNF a few times - since they played on ESPN a few times a year. IF they continue to improve, the Bills will also be on the new Sunday night football once or twice. Ralph might be more forgiving of a home game if it's on a Sunday evening at 8 PM rather than have a late starting 9 PM on Monday- when half of his travelling fan base gets some major headaches.

[G. Host]

This gives the NFL everything they want. They wanted in the past to get a "flexible" schedule - move dud games off the old MNF and replace them with possible playoff teams late in the season. Moving a game 38 hours later was a major inconvenience to teams and fans alike. Now, if the NFL wants to do it for the Sunday Night Football, all they have to do is move a game out of prime time up 4 hours to 4 PM. Moving a game from 1 PM or 4 PM to 8 PM isn't that hard.

Moving games still major inconvenience to fans. You may have work and may have already scheduled that time off to watch game, you may have unrefundable plane or other tickets, hotels, etc. :blowup:

Buying tickets should be commitment that game is then unless EXTREME circumstances occur not just to boost rating poiints.

[YardRat]

Anybody know how ESPN's ratings for Sunday night games stacked up against ABC's Monday night telecasts?

[DynaPaul]

The announcing needs serious overhaul on both MNF and ESPN. Joe Theissman is annoying and talks too much. McGuire is an incoherent barfly and Patrick is just plain dull. The 3 clowns annoy me with how they pick one or two players during a game and launch their tongues in those players asses the entire time. (Even when that player's team is getting whupped.) They also like to pick simple tasks and make them grand scale feats. For example:

Patrick - "Did you see the way Peyton handed that ball off to James? That was amazing!"

Theissman - "Yeah Dan, the thing is, not many players in the NFL really have the art of ball handing perfected. Getting the ball into the running back's hands is an exact science. Peyton's ability to do this shows why he's an elite player in this league."

McGuire - "Wellbackinymydaywesurehadalotofhalloffamersthatcouldreallystuffthatballintheirlikeaturkeywithstuffingitellyajoe."

Don't even get me started on blabbering Madden and football Nazi Michaels!

:blowup:

[Typ0]

Actually, it's a brilliant move by the NFL. Get out of the mind set that MNF is moving to ESPN. All ESPN is doing is moving their Sunday package to Monday nights. ESPN will still get second tier games - IE- Arizona vs Cincy - the only difference is that they traded time spots with what was ABC's MNF.


NBC will now inherit the "Marqee" NFL package. The same standards used to select teams for the old MNF will now be used for the Sunday game. Only teams with winning records, so on and so forth.


This gives the NFL everything they want. They wanted in the past to get a "flexible" schedule - move dud games off the old MNF and replace them with possible playoff teams late in the season. Moving a game 38 hours later was a major inconvenience to teams and fans alike. Now, if the NFL wants to do it for the Sunday Night Football, all they have to do is move a game out of prime time up 4 hours to 4 PM. Moving a game from 1 PM or 4 PM to 8 PM isn't that hard.


Also, there are some basic TV facts. 70% of the Nation has ESPN on cable, another 15% gets it via Satelite. 85% coverage wasn' t an issue when they owned the Sunday game, I don't see how it becomes an issue when they move the same games a day later.

Also, Sunday night is by far the most popular night in TV- more people watch Sunday evenings than any other night. Moving the games to a higher rated slot means higher overall ratings, which means more $$$ per commercial slot, which means more $$$ in future TV contracts. It also means the Salary cap will go up in kind.



I don't think Disney or the NFL are going to allow the MNF broadcast to drop down into second tier games as you say. That broadcast has been built from the ground up and is an entity in and of itself...and along with it goes a great deal of branding power. Allowing something like that looks too much like a lose-lose to me for it to happen. Instead, the NFL is leveraging the ESPN brand to regain the momentum MNF has lost on ABC in the last decade due to the inception of the salary cap and ABC taking a turn away from MNF being their cornerstone broadcast every week during the fall.

Now, they aren't really moving the "Marquee" NFL package to NBC...instead they are keeping the package the same with MNF and creating a package modeled after MNF in the Sunday night time slot. This is what flexible scheduling will create for the two networks and the NFL. I also don't think they will move games....instead they will leave slots on many teams schedule later in the season with TBA as the date and time of the games. This way the networks can bid on what games they want to cover in what slots and live and die by the sword so to speak instead of feeling shorted by the NFL scheduling committee--they will no longer be able to cite the NFL scheduling as faulty for making them pay a premium price for a not so premium game. Basically, they will be putting some of the onus of the quality of the games on the networks by allowing the schedule to be finalized during the season instead of before it starts and giving the networks a say in how it's finalized.

Interestingly enough, this could be the only way we see a MNF game hosted here in Buffalo in the next few years...because ESPN could "request" to broadcast one of our games and RW will have much less say in the matter because that is how the model works (outside the total control of the scheduling committee and the league). RW will have saved face with any inconvenienced fans by fighting to keep the games away...but the stadium will still sell out because it's a monday night game...

If you think about it..this is a win-win-win with Disney moving some of their major sports coverage off their big three network onto their premier sports network, NBC getting a great broadcast in the sunday night games along with a couple superbowls, and the NFL doing what they need to do to keep their product growing and expanding their television revenues.

[Mr. Miyagi]

Dude, Dozer and Typ0 are a couple of fart-smellas

[Dozerdog]

I don't think Disney or the NFL are going to allow the MNF broadcast to drop down into second tier games as you say. That broadcast has been built from the ground up and is an entity in and of itself...and along with it goes a great deal of branding power. Allowing something like that looks too much like a lose-lose to me for it to happen. Instead, the NFL is leveraging the ESPN brand to regain the momentum MNF has lost on ABC in the last decade due to the inception of the salary cap and ABC taking a turn away from MNF being their cornerstone broadcast every week during the fall.

Now, they aren't really moving the "Marquee" NFL package to NBC...instead they are keeping the package the same with MNF and creating a package modeled after MNF in the Sunday night time slot. This is what flexible scheduling will create for the two networks and the NFL. I also don't think they will move games....instead they will leave slots on many teams schedule later in the season with TBA as the date and time of the games. This way the networks can bid on what games they want to cover in what slots and live and die by the sword so to speak instead of feeling shorted by the NFL scheduling committee--they will no longer be able to cite the NFL scheduling as faulty for making them pay a premium price for a not so premium game. Basically, they will be putting some of the onus of the quality of the games on the networks by allowing the schedule to be finalized during the season instead of before it starts and giving the networks a say in how it's finalized.

Interestingly enough, this could be the only way we see a MNF game hosted here in Buffalo in the next few years...because ESPN could "request" to broadcast one of our games and RW will have much less say in the matter because that is how the model works (outside the total control of the scheduling committee and the league). RW will have saved face with any inconvenienced fans by fighting to keep the games away...but the stadium will still sell out because it's a monday night game...

If you think about it..this is a win-win-win with Disney moving some of their major sports coverage off their big three network onto their premier sports network, NBC getting a great broadcast in the sunday night games along with a couple superbowls, and the NFL doing what they need to do to keep their product growing and expanding their television revenues.

By "Second Tier Games" I refer to the schedule they currently carry. Yes, they get some really good ones- but they also get a few Arizona, Cincy, Redskin games as well. It's the NFL's little league rule- they try to get everyone on prime time once in a season.


The new MNF won't be the priemere package anymore- that goes to NBC (Season opener, better games, 2 wildcard games.......)

[Dozerdog]

Anybody know how ESPN's ratings for Sunday night games stacked up against ABC's Monday night telecasts?



ESPN first televised Sunday primetime NFL games in 1987, covering the second half of the regular season (eight games annually 1987 – 89, nine games 1990 – 1997), and has carried a full slate of 18 games since 1998. NFL PrimeTime, the ultimate NFL highlights show, debuted in 1987. In 2004 ESPN enjoyed another outstanding NFL season:

Sunday Night Football averaged a 7.3 rating, and 6,538,000 homes, making it ad-supported cable's highest-rated series for the 18th consecutive year (every year since its 1987 debut)
Eight of ad-supported cable's biggest 10 audiences in 2004 were ESPN NFL games.
Sunday NFL Countdown was seen by more people than any season in nine years.
Monday Night Countdown enjoyed its most-viewed season.
NFL PrimeTime remained cable television's most-watched sports studio show.
The NFL Draft was seen by seen by a record 31,402,000 people.

http://corporate.disney.go.com/news/corporate/2005/2005_0418_espn_nfl.html


Meanwhile, ABC's MNF was the 10th most popular series on TV, with an averaqge of 10.9 Rating (12 Million homes a game) and a total viewership of 16 million people.


http://tvhttp://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,272|||season,00.html

[YardRat]

Thanks, Dozer....

[Typ0]

I can't wait to see what they do with the flexible schedule. With ABC currently having a hit in a slot against ESPN's Sunday night broadcast they are significantly decreasing the risk associated with having games in prime-time that can't hold an audience. They are giving up some games to get in a spot where the games are better. They also are being positioned to afford the thursday and saturday games.