Star QBs Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford Face Off in #Game256
Coverage Begins with Football Night In America at 7 p.m. ET on NBC
NBCSports.com & NBC Sports App to Live Stream Sunday Night Football
Six-Hour ProFootballTalk Live with Mike Florio Marathon This Monday at 6 a.m. ET on NBC Sports Radio
STAMFORD, Conn. – December 28, 2016 – NBC’s Sunday Night Football — primetime television’s No. 1 show — continues this week with #Game256, a battle for the NFC North division title, as the Green Bay Packers (9-6) visit the Detroit Lions (9-6) on New Year’s Day at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. Coverage begins with Football Night in America this Sunday, Jan. 1, at 7 p.m. ET on NBC.
The winning team on Sunday clinches the NFC North championship and a home playoff game. The Lions will earn a first-round bye with a win and losses by both Atlanta and Seattle. The losing team could miss the playoffs.
Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers has 1,718 passing yards and 14 touchdowns in his past six games without committing a single turnover for a 118.8 passer rating. The Packers’ Ty Montgomery has three rushing touchdowns in his past three games, while WR Jordy Nelson leads NFL in receiving touchdowns this season (14). The Packers have won their past two meetings with the Lions, including a 34-17 win in Week 3.
Lions QB Matthew Stafford has 3,980 passing yards this season, and needs 20 yards for a sixth consecutive 4,000-yard season. WR Golden Tate has two touchdowns in his past three games at home against the Packers. In their last meeting with Green Bay at home, the Lions were narrowly defeated by the Packers, as Rodgers threw a 61-yard game winning touchdown as time expired for a 27-23 win (Dec. 3, 2015).
Calling Packers-Lions are seven-time Emmy Award-winner Al Michaels (play-by-play), in his record 31st 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 Sunday Night Football is led by Emmy Award-winning producer Fred Gaudelli and Emmy Award-winning director Drew Esocoff.
Football Night in America, the most-watched weekly studio show in sports, is hosted by Mike Tirico, who will report on-site from Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. Dan Patrick will host from NBC Sports Group’s International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn., and will be joined by Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy, two-time Super Bowl champion Rodney Harrison and Mike Florio of NBC Sports’ ProFootballTalk. Paul Burmeister reports from FedExField in Hyattsville, Md., on the Giants-Redskins game.
THE MOMENTUM CONTINUES: NBC’S “SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL” TOPS 21 MILLION VIEWERS FOR 3 CONSECUTIVE DECEMBER GAMES FOR 1ST TIME SINCE ’10
NBC’s Sunday Night Football, television’s #1 primetime show, continued its momentum last weekend. Among the late-season highlights:
- SNF averaged at least 21 million viewers for three consecutive December games for the first time since 2010.
- Compared to 2015, SNF posted a viewership increase for a third consecutive week (Weeks 14-16).
- Viewership for NBC’s Sunday Night Football has increased 10% since the Presidential Election, averaging 21.2 million viewers for eight SNF games beginning Sunday, Nov. 13, compared to 19.3 million viewers for the season’s first 10 SNF
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NBCSPORTS.COM & NBC SPORTS APP TO LIVE STREAM NBC’S SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream all of NBC’s Sunday Night Football and Thursday Night Football games to desktops, tablets, and connected TVs. The NBC Sports app will stream coverage 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 SNF and 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.)
PROFOOTBALLTALK – WEEKDAYS AT 7 A.M. ET ON NBCSN
Mike Florio brings fans the latest NFL news and interviews with players and coaches every weekday morning with ProFootballTalk on NBCSN at 7 a.m. ET. The two-hour ProFootballTalk 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 Florio’s national radio program that airs daily on NBC Sports Radio.
SIX-HOUR PROFOOTBALLTALK LIVE WITH MIKE FLORIO MARATHON ON NBC SPORTS RADIO
This Monday, Jan. 2, NBC Sports Radio presents a six-hour marathon of ProFootballTalk Live with NFL insider and Football Night In America commentator Mike Florio beginning at 6 a.m. ET. With the conclusion of the regular season, Florio will have the latest breaking news and analysis as teams make changes heading into 2017.
NBC Sports Radio surrounds the 2016 NFL season with daily coverage across nearly 420 radio affiliates, highlighted by 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 Commentator Mike Tirico; NFL Insider Michele Tafoya; and ProFootballTalk Live.
To listen to a live stream of NBC Sports Radio, or find your local affiliate, visit http://www.NBCSportsRadio.com.
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL ALL-ACCESS: For the seventh straight season NBCSports.com is providing a destination for fans dedicated to behind-the-scenes and social media driven content on the Sunday Night Football All Access page. Fans can follow the social conversation and access content around Sunday Night Football and the SNF Bus, including video highlights from the SNF Bus, player interviews and more. Fans can show their passion for who they think will win each week, use an interactive map to see how other football fans across the country are talking about that SNF matchup, and vote on which team’s hype video they like the best each week. Visit SNF All-Access at: http://snfallaccess.nbcsports.com/
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SOCIAL MEDIA:
- SNF ON FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/SNFonNBC – At over 3 million LIKES strong, the Sunday Night Football Facebook page provides news, custom graphics, animations and videos exclusively behind-the-scenes at SNF every week. A key focus for the SNF Facebook page this season are regular Facebook Live Q&As with Football Night in America and Sunday Night Football talent both on the road and in the studio. The Facebook page also aggregates all SNF-related content found within the NBC Sports digital network, including NBCSports.com, SNF All Access, ProFootballTalk.com, and Rotoworld.com.
- SNF ON TWITTER: twitter.com/SNFonNBC – Using tweets, photos, Vines 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 fifth season, Sunday Night Football gives the SNF fan a look at photos through the filters of Instagram, from on the road, on the SNF Bus and in the Football Night in America studio. Fans get a look inside the production trucks, the locker rooms, on the field and around each SNF city. Fans will get an exclusive look through Instagram of what life is like on the sideline, as our social media producer captures the best photos of Sunday night and posts in real time. For the first time, SNF on Instagram will utilize Instagram stories to give fans maximum exposure to the Sunday Night Football footprint.
- NBC SPORTS ON SNAPCHAT: For the first time, NBC Sports’ Snapchat account will be creating content on the platform at each Sunday Night game including Kickoff and from the SNF Bus. The NBC Sports Snapchat account will take fans behind the scenes to the FNIA set, to player interviews 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 2016 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 and Thursday Night Football games. This season, 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 arrives 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 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 2016 NFL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the local teams that matter most in more than 50 million U.S. cable and satellite households.
SNF IS TV’S NO. 1 PRIMETIME PROGRAM FOR 5 YEARS RUNNING
For a historic five consecutive Sept.-May television seasons from 2011-15, NBC’s Sunday Night Football finished as television’s No. 1 primetime show in household rating and viewership, as well as the coveted Adult 18-49 demographic, based on live plus same day data from The Nielsen Company (September-May). Sunday Night Football is one of only four shows since 1950 to rank No. 1 in primetime for five consecutive TV seasons.
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–
ESPN2 will air The Harlem Globetrotters Southern California Special on Monday, Jan. 2, at 7 p.m. ET. The telecast will feature Harlem Globetrotter stars Big Easy Lofton, Ant Atkinson and Hi-Lite Bruton on the court, and will examine the team’s impact in the community as well.
The 2017 Under Armour All-America Game presented by American Family Insurance will feature the nation’s top high school football players in an all-star matchup on Sunday, Jan 1 (1 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Last week marked the beginning of a nationwide rollout of the ESPN App on AT&T DIRECTV set top boxes, allowing subscribers to seamlessly switch between all ESPN live and on-demand video to their TVs through a hybrid interface. It is the first time ESPN has made this app-like service combining both linear and streaming content available through a traditional distributor on set top boxes.
This week’s women’s college basketball slate features a top five matchup on Thursday, Dec. 29 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2) when No. 1 UConn visits No. 4 Maryland.
ESPN Deportes continúa su extensa cobertura de la postemporada del fútbol americano universitario con la presentación exclusiva en español del College Football Playoff y el campeonato final a disputarse el 9 de enero.
The start of conference play beginning this week, and includes an ESPN2 tripleheader on Wednesday, Dec. 28, beginning at 5 p.m., showcasing Wake Forest at No. 20 Florida State, No. 12 Virginia at No. 6 Louisville and No. 2 UCLA at No. 21 Oregon.
ESPN today announced an update to its NBA schedule in January. On Wednesday, Jan. 11, the Memphis Grizzlies and Marc Gasol will visit the Oklahoma City Thunder and early-season M.V.P. candidate Russell Westbrook at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. This telecast will replace the previously selected Washington Wizards at Boston Celtics matchup.