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NBCUNIVERSAL AND NFL REACH 11-YEAR EXTENSION & EXPANSION FOR SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL, PRIMETIME TV’S #1 SHOW

March 18, 2021 By admin

Sunday Night Football to Continue on NBC Through 2033 NFL Season; NBC Sports’ Upcoming 2021 NFL Season Coverage on NBC and Peacock

NBC Sports to Present 4 of Next 13 Super Bowls, Plus Wild Card and Divisional Playoff Games Each Season on NBC and Peacock 

 NBC Remains Home of NFL Kickoff Game & Thanksgiving Night Game; Flexible Scheduling for SNF Begins in Week 5 Each Season 

NEW YORK and STAMFORD, Conn. – March 18, 2021 – NBCUniversal and the NFL announced today an 11-year extension and expansion for NBC Sports to continue as the home of Sunday Night Football, primetime television’s No. 1 show for an unprecedented 10 consecutive years.

With the new agreement, which begins with the 2023 NFL season, NBC and Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, will present Sunday Night Football through 2033 – a span of 28 seasons for NBC as the home of the NFL’s premier primetime package (since its 2006 debut). In addition, beginning with the upcoming 2021 season, Peacock will stream all NBC Sunday Night Football games and the Football Night in America studio show. Peacock will also produce a new exclusive, expanded postgame show following SNF each week.

NBC Sports, which produced the first-ever NFL broadcast on Oct. 22, 1939 (Philadelphia Eagles-Brooklyn Dodgers from Ebbets Field), will present four of the next 13 Super Bowls, including three Super Bowls as part of the new agreement. Home of the upcoming Super Bowl LVI from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in February 2022, NBC and Peacock will broadcast and stream Super Bowls in February 2026, February 2030, and February 2034. NBC Sports’ presentation of Super Bowl XLIX in February 2015 is the most-watched show in U.S. television history (114.4 million viewers on NBC).

In each of the next 13 seasons, NBC will broadcast a Divisional Playoff game. In addition, NBC will televise two Wild Card playoff games during the 2021, 2022, 2023, 2026, and 2031 seasons, with a single Wild Card telecast in all other seasons. In each of the next seven seasons, NBC will broadcast a Sunday primetime Wild Card game. All NBC NFL postseason games will stream live on Peacock.

Peacock will also serve as the exclusive national home of six NFL regular-season games – one each year from 2023-28 (giving NBC Sports an additional regular-season game in those seasons) – and will launch a virtual NFL channel, highlighting classic games, as well as NFL Films’ series, library, and archival content, which will all also be available on demand. NBC Sports will have the option to incorporate enhanced and interactive features in game presentations to be streamed live on NBC digital platforms, including Peacock.

“We are excited to expand upon our relationship with the NFL, which is the most powerful content in sports and entertainment,” said Pete Bevacqua, Chairman, NBC Sports Group.  “Sunday Night Football has been television’s most-watched primetime show for a decade, and we look forward to continuing our best-in-class presentation of SNF, Super Bowls, and playoff games for many years to come, while also broadening our audience with Peacock becoming the live streaming home for all NBC NFL games.”

“Comcast and the NBC family have been outstanding partners for us and we are excited to continue that relationship long into the future,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “Sunday Night Football is firmly established as the No. 1 show in primetime television, and we are looking forward to working with NBC and Peacock to continue to bring the NFL to more fans in more ways than ever before.”

NBC Sports will continue its tradition of opening each season with the NFL Kickoff Game, as the first regular-season game in the Sunday Night Football package, which also includes the Thanksgiving night primetime game. The NFL’s flexible scheduling for SNF, which was instituted in 2006, will begin in Week 5 each season.

Each NFL Sunday on NBC will once again begin with Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports in every year since its 2006 debut.

Telemundo Deportes, the U.S. destination for the biggest global sporting events in Spanish-language, will present all NBC NFL games on television in Spanish beginning in 2023, also available to be live streamed on Peacock.

This long-term agreement can be terminated on a one-time basis by the NFL after seven years.

In January, NBC concluded its 15th season of Sunday Night Football, topping all primetime television series in the fall and once again pacing to finish as primetime’s #1 TV show in all key metrics for an unprecedented 10th consecutive year. NBC’s SNF extended its record for the most consecutive years atop the charts (since 1950), based on official live plus same day data provided by Nielsen.

Most Consecutive Years, #1 Ranked Show in Primetime, Since 1950

10 years in a row – Sunday Night Football (2011-12 through 2020-21; on pace)

6 years in a row – American Idol (2005-06 through 2010-11)

5 years in a row – The Cosby Show (1985-86 through 1989-90)…tied Cheers in ‘89-90

5 years in a row – All in the Family (1971-72 through 1975-76)

4 years in a row – Gunsmoke (1957-58 through 1960-61)

 

–NBC SPORTS–

 

Filed Under: NBC, NFL, Sunday Night Football, Uncategorized

RAVENS-BILLS AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF IS NBC’S MOST-WATCHED SATURDAY PRIMETIME SHOW IN FOUR YEARS

January 20, 2021 By admin

Baltimore-Buffalo sets NBC Sports Digital Record for NFL Divisional Playoff Game 

STAMFORD, Conn. – Jan. 20, 2021 – NBC’s broadcast of the Buffalo Bills’ 17-3 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Playoff last weekend delivered the network’s largest Saturday primetime audience in four years, and the largest Saturday night audience on any network since last January.

The Ravens-Bills game averaged a Total Audience Delivery of 27.1 million viewers across NBC TV, Universo, NBC Sports Digital and NFL Digital platforms, and Verizon Media mobile properties, according to official data released today by Nielsen, and digital data from Adobe Analytics.

The TAD of 27.1 million viewers ranks as NBC’s most-watched Saturday primetime show in four years, since its 2016 NFC Wild Card game (Lions-Seahawks, 27.1 million, Jan. 7, 2017). In addition, the NBC audience of 26.2 million is the most-watched Saturday primetime show on any network since the Titans-Ravens 2019 AFC Divisional Playoff (1/11/20 on CBS).

Viewership on NBC peaked at 28.3 million viewers from 9:30-9:45 p.m. ET, in the second quarter. Saturday night’s game (8:16 p.m.-11:13 p.m. ET) registered a national TV household rating of 13.7/30.

Ravens-Bills delivered an Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 808,000 viewers across NBC Sports digital platforms, NFL digital platforms, Ravens and Bills mobile properties, and Verizon Media mobile properties – ranking as the most streamed NBC NFL Divisional Playoff game ever. The game’s streaming audience is also the second-largest ever for an NBC NFL Playoff game, excluding Super Bowls, trailing only last week’s Browns-Steelers Wild Card matchup.

Top Metered Markets for Ravens-Bills (based on 56 markets):

1. Buffalo 52.8/75
2. Baltimore 33.8/57
3. New Orleans 24.1/38
4. Kansas City 24.0/44
5. Pittsburgh 23.7/39
6. Cleveland 23.2/42
7. Washington, D.C. 21.4/42
8. Denver 20.6/43
9. Albuquerque 20.4/33
10. Cincinnati 20.1/39

 

–NBC SPORTS–

Filed Under: NBC, NFL, Ratings, Sunday Night Football, Uncategorized

JOSH ALLEN & BUFFALO BILLS HOST LAMAR JACKSON & BALTIMORE RAVENS IN AFC DIVISIONAL MATCHUP THIS SATURDAY AT 8:15 P.M. ET ON NBC

January 14, 2021 By admin

Coverage Begins with Special Edition of Football Night in America at 7:30 p.m. ET

Fans Can Participate in “Sunday Night 7” Free-to-Play Game, Featuring $100,000 Jackpot

New Episode of “Sports Uncovered” Podcast Series Hosted by Michele Tafoya Debuts Today, Jan. 14, Featuring Gayle Sierens, the First Woman to Call an NFL Game

Universo to Televise Saturday’s Game in Spanish-Language

STAMFORD, Conn. – Jan. 14, 2021 – 2020 NFL MVP candidate Josh Allen and the No. 2-seed Buffalo Bills (14-3) host 2019 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and the No. 5 Baltimore Ravens (12-5) this Saturday in the AFC Divisional Playoffs on NBC. Coverage begins with a special playoff edition of Football Night in America at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC, followed by kickoff at 8:15 p.m. ET from Bills Stadium in Orchard Park, NY. It is NBC Sports’ final NFL game of the season.

Baltimore and Buffalo, who will meet in the playoffs for the first timed, both enter the Divisional Round on winning streaks, as the Ravens have won six straight and the Bills have won seven. The teams last met in Week 14 of 2019, when the Ravens won, 24-17, behind Jackson’s three touchdown passes at Bills Stadium.

In the Wild Card round, the Bills topped the Colts, 27-24, snapping a six-game playoff losing streak with their first postseason victory since 1995. Allen passed for 324 yards and two touchdowns and added 54 rushing yards and a touchdown in the win. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who led the NFL with 127 receptions and 1,535 receiving yards this season, had six catches for 128 yards and a score against Indianapolis.

The Ravens advanced to the Divisional round by beating the Titans, 20-13, last weekend. Jackson, who earned his first career playoff victory, rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown and had 179 passing yards, while Baltimore’s defense held Tennessee to 209 total net yards.

Calling Baltimore-Buffalo is Al Michaels (play-by-play), in his record 35th season as the voice of the NFL’s premier primetime package; 16-time Emmy Award-winner Cris Collinsworth; and three-time Emmy Award-winning sideline reporter Michele Tafoya. Three-time Super Bowl referee Terry McAulay is the rules analyst.

NBC’s coverage of Sunday Night Football is led by executive producer Fred Gaudelli and director Drew Esocoff. SNF is the only show to win 10 Sports Emmy Awards for Outstanding Live Sports Series.

Mike Tirico hosts Football Night in America at 7:30 p.m. ET prior to Ravens-Bills from NBC Sports Group’s Studio 1 in Stamford, Conn., alongside Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy, former NFL quarterback Chris Simms and with NFL Insider Mike Florio joining remotely from his home studio. Liam McHugh and two-time Super Bowl champion Rodney Harrison will report on-site from Bills Stadium. Football Night is produced by Rob Hyland and directed by Mike Sheehan.

During Saturday’s FNIA, Simms speaks with Josh Allen and Jac Collinsworth interviews Lamar Jackson.

On Saturday afternoon on NBC, NBC Sports’ Tim Layden delivers an essay tracing Buffalo’s quarterback legacy from Jack Kemp to Jim Kelly, and now, to Allen.

The second episode of season two of NBC Sports’ “Sports Uncovered” podcast series, hosted by Michele Tafoya, debuts today featuring Gayle Sierens, who in December 1987 became the first woman to call an NFL game, handling play-by-play of Seahawks-Chiefs on NBC. Podcast episodes are available for download now on all major podcast platforms, including: NBCSports.com/podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn and iHeart.

In addition to television availability, broadcasts of all NBC NFL postseason games can be streamed digitally across devices on NBC and NFL digital properties, and on mobile via Verizon Media mobile properties and the mobile properties of the participating teams.

DECADE OF DOMINANCE: NBC’S “SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL” CONCLUDES SEASON ON PACE TO BE TV’S #1 PRIMETIME SHOW FOR UNPRECEDENTED 10TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

NBC concluded its 15th season of Sunday Night Football, topping all primetime television series in the fall and once again pacing to finish as primetime’s #1 TV show in all key metrics for an unprecedented 10th consecutive year. NBC’s SNF extended its record for the most consecutive years atop the charts (since 1950), based on official live plus same day data provided by Nielsen.

Click here for more information.

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, mobile, 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. NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app are available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox, and Chromecast.

TELEMUNDO DEPORTES PRESENTS FULL SEASON OF SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Telemundo Deportes will televise the entire NBC Sunday Night Football package live including all Sunday night regular-season games, the NFL Kickoff game, the annual Thanksgiving night game and three Playoff Games, including Saturday’s Divisional matchup. Universo will televise 21 games, including the Ravens-Bills game, and Telemundo broadcasted the newly-added primetime NFL Wild Card playoff game on Sunday, January 10. Coverage of the 2020 NFL season across both Telemundo and sister network, Universo, mark the first time ever that the full SNF schedule is available in Spanish-language in the U.S.

“SUNDAY NIGHT 7” FREE-TO-PLAY GAME AVAILABLE ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY WITH $100,000 JACKPOT FOR BOTH WILD CARD MATCHUPS

Fans can participate in NBC Sports’ free-to-play game, Sunday Night 7, on Sunday, which features a $100,000 jackpot for the Divisional matchup. Sunday Night 7 is available for download NOW on the NBC Sports Predictor app (available in the App Store and Google Play Store) and at NBCSports.com/Predictor.

Last weekend, one user finished in first place with a score of 65 points on Saturday, and 14 users tied for first place with a score of 50 points on Sunday.

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. It was announced in May 2019 that King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com; making regular appearances on PFT Live with Mike Florio; and continuing to contribute to Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.

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.

ROTOWORLD

Rotoworld offers comprehensive fantasy football coverage throughout the 2020 NFL season across NBC Sports’ platforms. Rotoworld’s Fantasy Football Draft Guide and premium tools are available for purchase now via Rotoworld’s new subscription model, beginning at only $3.99 per month. The industry-leading source for fantasy football news and information, the 2020 Rotoworld Fantasy Football Draft Guide features more than 450 extensive player profiles, ‘Sleepers and Busts,’ player projections, positional rankings and tier groupings from Rotoworld’s NFL experts, and more. For the first time, Rotoworld’s Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet is downloadable and available for free by registering on Rotoworld.com. The Cheat Sheet, which includes top 200 PPR rankings, PPR positional rankings, dynasty rookies, and more, is also available as part of the 2020 Draft Guide.

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

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 streaming live on Peacock at 7 a.m. ET. Peter King and NBC Football Night in America analyst Rodney Harrison also contribute regularly to PFT Live’s coverage throughout the season.

The two-hour PFT Live is known for delivering inside information and comprehensive analysis from an independent perspective. The show covers all the latest news around the league, breaks down reports and rumors and features interviews with players, coaches and executives. The show will be re-aired on NBCSN from 9-11 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. New episodes of NBC Sports podcasts are available for download each week on all major podcast platforms including: NBCSports.com/podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn and iHeart.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SOCIAL MEDIA

    • SNF ON INSTAGRAM: Through the unique filter of Instagram, fans will get an in-depth look at each week’s Sunday Night Football game with the most engaging photos and videos from across the NFL. SNF also utilizes Instagram Stories for up-to-the-minute coverage of the league.
    • SNF ON TWITTER: The very latest news, video, analysis from the Football Night in America crew and much more lives on @SNFonNBC, the real-time engine for NBC’s year-round NFL coverage.
    • SNF ON FACEBOOK: With more than 3.5 million followers, SNF’s Facebook page is the hub of football conversation. It’s the place to converse and engage with fellow fans on the latest news and action across the NFL.
    • NBC SPORTS ON TIKTOK: New for 2020, NBC Sports’ presence on TikTok puts the spotlight on the offbeat and exuberant side of the National Football League for a young, highly-engaged audience.

 

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 2020 NFL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most in 32 million U.S. households.

2020 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Sat. Jan. 16 Divisional Baltimore Ravens vs. Buffalo Bills

 

– SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL –

Filed Under: NBC, NFL, Sunday Night Football, Uncategorized

NBC’S BROWNS-STEELERS SUNDAY NFL WILD CARD GAME IS MOST-WATCHED PRIMETIME SHOW SINCE SUPER BOWL SUNDAY

January 12, 2021 By admin

Tampa Bay-Washington Game on NBC Delivers Largest Saturday Primetime Audience on any Network Since 2019 NFL Divisional Playoffs 

Peacock, NBC Sports Digital, NFL Digital & Verizon Media Mobile Properties Register Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 1.04 Million Viewers for Browns-Steelers – Setting NBC Sports Digital Record for NFL Game, Excluding Super Bowls

STAMFORD, Conn. – Jan. 12, 2021 – NBC Sports’ presentation of a pair of NFL Super Wild Card Weekend games delivered two of primetime television’s three largest audiences since last February (based on data available through Sun., Jan. 10).

Sunday Night (Cleveland-Pittsburgh)

Despite Cleveland’s one-sided, 28-0 first-quarter start – which matched a half-century old playoff record (Raiders 28-0 over Oilers, Dec. 21, 1969) – Sunday night’s Browns-Steelers game averaged a Total Audience Delivery of 26.0 million viewers across NBC TV, Telemundo, Peacock, NBC Sports Digital and NFL Digital platforms, and Verizon Media mobile properties, according to official data released today by Nielsen, and digital data from Adobe Analytics.

The NBC audience of 24.8 million viewers ranks as television’s most-watched primetime show since Super Bowl Sunday last February 2. Viewership on NBC peaked at 27.6 million viewers from 9:15-9:30 p.m. ET, in the second quarter. Sunday night’s game (8:16 p.m.-11:20 p.m. ET), which Baker Mayfield-led Cleveland won 48-37, registered a national TV household rating of 13.4/28.

Browns-Steelers, which marked the first-ever live NFL game on NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming platform, delivered an Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 1.04 million viewers across Peacock, NBC Sports digital platforms, NFL digital platforms, Browns and Steelers mobile properties, and Verizon Media mobile properties – ranking as the most streamed NBC NFL game ever, excluding Super Bowls.

Top Metered Markets for Browns-Steelers (based on 44 markets available):

1. Cleveland 51.5/74
2. Pittsburgh 39.9/59
3. Columbus 30.6/51
4. Kansas City 24.1/41
5. Cincinnati 23.4/41
6. Baltimore 22.5/39
7. Milwaukee 21.0/38
8. San Diego 19.7/36
9. Washington, D.C. 18.4/34
10. Nashville 18.1/29

 

Saturday Night (Tampa Bay-Washington)

Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 31-23 Wild Card win over a Washington Football Team led by unheralded quarterback Taylor Heinicke registered a TAD of 22.2 million on Saturday night.

Tampa Bay-Washington averaged 21.4 million viewers on NBC to rank as the most-watched Saturday primetime show on any network since the Titans-Ravens 2019 AFC Divisional Playoff (1/11/20 on CBS). Saturday night’s game (8:15 p.m.-11:34 p.m. ET) registered a national TV household rating of 11.5/25.

Top Metered Markets for Bucs-WFT (based on 56 markets):

1. Washington, D.C. 26.8/48
2. Tampa-St. Petersburg 26.7/47
3. New Orleans 24.5/35
4. Providence 21.5/39
5. Richmond 21.3/37
6. Fort Myers 20.2/36
7. Norfolk 19.9/36
8. Boston 19.6/37
9. Pittsburgh 18.8/32
10. Buffalo 18.4/32

 

This Saturday night, Jan. 16 on NBC, 2019 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens (12-5) visit 2020 NFL MVP candidate Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills (14-3) in an AFC Divisional Playoff Game. Coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. ET with a special edition of Football Night in America.

–NBC SPORTS–

Filed Under: NBC, NFL, Ratings, Sunday Night Football, Uncategorized

TOM BRADY, BEN ROETHLISBERGER, BAKER MAYFIELD & ALEX SMITH HEADLINE NBC SPORTS’ PRIMETIME NFL WILD CARD MATCHUPS THIS WEEKEND

January 7, 2021 By admin

“Washington has five tremendous rushers…Tampa’s protection has been excellent. That to me is going to be the battle and the key to the game.” – Tony Dungy on Buccaneers-Washington Football Team, this Saturday at 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC and Universo

“(Baker Mayfield) has really become sort of the embodiment of that fighting spirit of the Cleveland Browns.” – Cris Collinsworth on Browns-Steelers, this Sunday at 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo

Peacock to Present First-Ever NFL Game Stream and Post-Game Coverage Featuring Michael Smith and Michael Holley on Sunday

Fans Can Participate in “Sunday Night 7” Free-to-Play Game on Saturday and Sunday, Featuring $100,000 Jackpot for Both Wild Card Matchups

STAMFORD, Conn. – Jan. 7, 2021 – Star quarterbacks take center stage in a pair of NFL Super Wild Card Weekend matchups on NBC Sports, beginning this Saturday when six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-5) face Alex Smith and the NFC East champion Washington Football Team (7-9) at 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC and Universo (Spanish language). The following night, two-time Super Bowl winner Ben Roethlisberger and the AFC North champion Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) host Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns (11-5) at 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo (Spanish language). Coverage begins both nights at 7:30 p.m. ET with special playoff editions of Football Night in America.

BUCCANEERS (11-5) AT WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM (7-9) SATURDAY AT 8:15 P.M. ET ON NBC AND UNIVERSO

Brady, who won six Super Bowl titles with New England, helped the Buccaneers earn their first playoff berth since 2007 and is the postseason’s all-time leader in games played (41), passing yards (11,388) and touchdown passes (73).

Washington won the NFC East for the first time since 2015, after finishing in last place in 2019. Smith, a leading candidate for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award, won his last five starts of the season.

Mike Tirico will call the matchup with Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy. Kathryn Tappen reports from the sidelines. Three-time Super Bowl referee Terry McAulay serves as rules analyst. Universo will also televise the game live in Spanish.

NBC’s coverage of Tampa Bay-Washington is led by coordinating producer Rob Hyland and director Pierre Moossa.

Liam McHugh hosts a special playoff edition of FNIA on Saturday from NBC Sports Group’s Studio 1 in Stamford, Conn., alongside two-time Super Bowl-winner Rodney Harrison and former NFL quarterback Chris Simms. NFL Insider Mike Florio joins Football Night remotely from his home studio. Jac Collinsworth co-hosts on-site at FedEx Field.

BROWNS (11-5) AT STEELERS (12-4) SUNDAY AT 8:15 P.M. ET ON NBC, PEACOCK, AND TELEMUNDO

In a storied rivalry that dates back to 1950, this will mark the 139th time the two AFC North clubs play, but just the third matchup in the playoffs. Roethlisberger leads the Steelers in a postseason game for the 22nd time in his career, passing Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway (21) for the fifth-most in NFL history.

Mayfield makes his playoff debut after leading the Browns to their first playoff berth since 2002, ending the NFL’s longest playoff drought. Cleveland also looks to end a streak of 17 consecutive losses in Pittsburgh.

Al Michaels joins 16-time Emmy Award-winner Cris Collinsworth (analyst) in the booth at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on Sunday night. Three-time Emmy Award-winner Michele Tafoya will serve as the sideline reporter and McAulay as rules analyst. The matchup will be simulcast on Peacock, and Telemundo will present a live Spanish-language broadcast of the game.

NBC’s coverage of Sunday Night Football is led by executive producer Fred Gaudelli and director Drew Esocoff. SNF is the only show to win 10 Sports Emmy Awards for Outstanding Live Sports Series.

McHugh hosts FNIA prior to Browns-Steelers from NBC Sports Group’s Studio 1 in Stamford, Conn., alongside Dungy and Simms with Florio joining remotely from his home studio. Jac Collinsworth and Harrison will provide reports and analysis on-site from Heinz Field.

NFL WILD CARD PLAYOFFS CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT

Yesterday, Michaels, Collinsworth, Tirico, Dungy and Gaudelli joined NBC Sports Group Chairman Pete Bevacqua to preview NBC Sports’ two NFL Super Wild Card Weekend matchups on a media conference call. Click here for a full transcript.

PEACOCK TO PRESENT FIRST-EVER NFL GAME STREAM AND POST-GAME COVERAGE ON SUNDAY

A historic first will be marked for Peacock when the platform will live stream NBC Sports’ coverage of the NFL Wild Card playoff game between the Browns and the Steelers, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sunday. Michael Smith and Michael Holley, co-hosts of the Peacock exclusive show Brother From Another, will host the streaming service’s first-ever post-game show immediately following NBC’s post-game coverage at approximately 11:30 p.m. ET.

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, mobile, 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. NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app are available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox, and Chromecast.

TELEMUNDO DEPORTES PRESENTS FULL SEASON OF SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Telemundo Deportes will televise the entire NBC Sunday Night Football package live including all Sunday night regular-season games, the NFL Kickoff game, the annual Thanksgiving night game and three Playoff Games, including Sunday’s Wild Card matchup. Universo will televise 21 games, including the Bucs-Washington Football Team game this Saturday. Coverage of the 2020 NFL season across both Telemundo and sister network, Universo, mark the first time ever that the full SNF schedule is available in Spanish-language in the U.S.

“SUNDAY NIGHT 7” FREE-TO-PLAY GAME AVAILABLE ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY WITH $100,000 JACKPOT FOR BOTH WILD CARD MATCHUPS

Fans can participate in NBC Sports’ free-to-play game, Sunday Night 7, on Saturday and Sunday, which features a $100,000 jackpot for both Wild Card matchups. Sunday Night 7 is available for download NOW on the NBC Sports Predictor app (available in the App Store and Google Play Store) and at NBCSports.com/Predictor.

Last week, seven users tied for first place with a score of 60 points, each taking home $350.

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. It was announced in May 2019 that King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com; making regular appearances on PFT Live with Mike Florio; and continuing to contribute to Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.

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.

ROTOWORLD

Rotoworld offers comprehensive fantasy football coverage throughout the 2020 NFL season across NBC Sports’ platforms. Rotoworld’s Fantasy Football Draft Guide and premium tools are available for purchase now via Rotoworld’s new subscription model, beginning at only $3.99 per month. The industry-leading source for fantasy football news and information, the 2020 Rotoworld Fantasy Football Draft Guide features more than 450 extensive player profiles, ‘Sleepers and Busts,’ player projections, positional rankings and tier groupings from Rotoworld’s NFL experts, and more. For the first time, Rotoworld’s Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet is downloadable and available for free by registering on Rotoworld.com. The Cheat Sheet, which includes top 200 PPR rankings, PPR positional rankings, dynasty rookies, and more, is also available as part of the 2020 Draft Guide.

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

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 streaming live on Peacock at 7 a.m. ET. Peter King and NBC Football Night in America analyst Rodney Harrison also contribute regularly to PFT Live’s coverage throughout the season.

The two-hour PFT Live is known for delivering inside information and comprehensive analysis from an independent perspective. The show covers all the latest news around the league, breaks down reports and rumors and features interviews with players, coaches and executives. The show will be re-aired on NBCSN from 9-11 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. New episodes of NBC Sports podcasts are available for download each week on all major podcast platforms including: NBCSports.com/podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn and iHeart.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SOCIAL MEDIA

  • SNF ON INSTAGRAM: Through the unique filter of Instagram, fans will get an in-depth look at each week’s Sunday Night Football game with the most engaging photos and videos from across the NFL. SNF also utilizes Instagram Stories for up-to-the-minute coverage of the league.
  • SNF ON TWITTER: The very latest news, video, analysis from the Football Night in America crew and much more lives on @SNFonNBC, the real-time engine for NBC’s year-round NFL coverage.
  • SNF ON FACEBOOK: With more than 3.5 million followers, SNF’s Facebook page is the hub of football conversation. It’s the place to converse and engage with fellow fans on the latest news and action across the NFL.
  • NBC SPORTS ON TIKTOK: New for 2020, NBC Sports’ presence on TikTok puts the spotlight on the offbeat and exuberant side of the National Football League for a young, highly-engaged audience.

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 2020 NFL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most in 32 million U.S. households.

2020 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Sat. Jan. 9 Wild Card Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Washington Football Team
Sun. Jan. 10 Wild Card Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sat. Jan. 16/Sun. Jan. 17 Divisional TBD

 

– SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL –

Filed Under: NBC, Sunday Night Football, Uncategorized

TRANSCRIPT – NBC SPORTS NFL WILD CARD PLAYOFFS CONFERENCE CALL

January 6, 2021 By admin

Wednesday, January 6, 2021

 

THE MODERATOR: Thanks for joining us on today’s call.

This weekend we’re excited to present a pair of primetime games as part of the NFL Super Wild Card Weekend. We have Tampa Bay at Washington on Saturday night, which will be called by Mike Tirico, Tony Dungy, and Kathryn Tappen. Then Sunday night, it’s the Browns and the Steelers, called by Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, and Michele Tafoya. This also marks the first ever NFL game streamed on Peacock and the first NFL playoff game on the Telemundo broadcast network.

Joining us on today’s call are the Chairman of NBC Sports Group, Pete Bevacqua, our Sunday Night Football executive producer Fred Gaudelli, and our two announce teams for this weekend: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Mike Tirico, and Tony Dungy. Each will have an opening comment and then we’ll take your questions.

With that I’ll turn it over to NBC Sports Group Chairman, Pete Bevacqua.

PETE BEVACQUA: Hello, everybody. Happy New Year.

Certainly an exciting week for us as we head into this weekend. I just wanted to start by thanking Fred and Drew and our entire production, engineering, and announce teams. To think about what everybody has gone through this year, it’s been a trying year, a difficult year, and we want to salute the NFL and all of the teams for pulling off a very successful year under, as I said, very trying circumstances.

For us, certainly a good moment. It looks like we’re very much on pace to be our 10th year as the number one show on primetime. That literally has never been done before. So that again is both exciting and a real testament to the great work of our team that you’ll hear from.

As we head into this Sunday, we’re so excited about this Super Wild Card Sunday and the two primetime matchups we have. When you think about the quarterbacks we have, Tom Brady, Alex Smith, Ben Roethlisberger, and Baker Mayfield, I don’t think we could ask for better matchups.

We’re not only excited to have these two great games on NBC, but we’re also really excited for Sunday night for the first time ever to stream an NFL game, a Wild Card game, on Peacock. We’re also going to have it on Telemundo. We think we’re set up for what should really be a great weekend of NFL football.

FRED GAUDELLI: I’m going to echo a little bit of what Pete said. I’m really grateful to be here, having made it through 19 regular-season games this year with just a few hiccups along the way.

I think when we talked back in late August, we talked about adapt and adjust. That certainly happened pretty much on a weekly basis this year.

I just wanted to say thanks to our engineering, operations, production, our emergency health and services department, for all the constant adjustments that had to be made throughout the season to put the show on the air, with little disruption to the production of the show.

It’s great to be in the Wild Card round. It’s great to be in the NFL Playoffs. The league did a phenomenal job. I don’t think many people thought we’d get to the end of the season on time, and we have. Hopefully a lot of excitement yet to come.

AL MICHAELS: I think doing the Browns’ first playoff game in 18 years to me is both very cool and now totally full of mystery. Kevin Stefanski, Joel Bitonio, and others out of commission, but you still have Mayfield and Chubb and Hunt and Landry against that Steelers defense in a really good matchup.

The Steelers of course had that swale period after the 11-0 start. Seemed to get it back together when they had to against the Colts in Week 16. Once again, Mike Tomlin has really done a superb job. It gets sometimes lost in the shuffle. Here is a guy who has been there since 2007, has never had a losing season.

You have two cities within driving distance, a good rivalry. As my pal, the late great Keith Jackson would say, they don’t like each other very much. It should be a good watch.

CRIS COLLINSWORTH: You talked about the mystery of the Cleveland Browns a little bit. How about the mystery of the Pittsburgh Steelers this year? Just got finished watching them on offense against the Colts. Of course, they had been struggling and trying to work their way through some things.

First half, honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Steelers look worse on offense. Second half, they looked like they could beat anybody in the league, and they were the team that went 11-0.

This is a mysterious team. The constant is on the defensive side. On the offensive side, I just don’t know what we’re going to see in this game. But I do know the history of this franchise. It’s a proud franchise. So many times, when you start to think you might be able to count them out, they just make you look foolish and come back and do it all over again. That’s what I expect. I expect their best out there on Sunday night.

What do you think, Michael, about Mr. Tom Brady?

MIKE TIRICO: It is pretty cool to see Tom Brady play a playoff game for the first time not in a New England uniform. It will be very different. The Buccaneers and their fans have been waiting since 2007 for a playoff game, haven’t won a playoff game since back in Super Bowl XXXVII. When they signed up for all of this, this is what they hoped to see, Tom Brady leading them to the playoffs.

I’m sure we’re going to have a very interested fan base there in central Florida. Obviously very interested in Washington and the DMV surrounds with the Washington Football Team winning the division at 7-9, which a lot of folks didn’t expect anybody to emerge in that NFC East division with a chance, but their pass-rush certainly will give them one.

I’m sure we’ll also have a lot of interested viewers up in the six states we call New England. For the Patriots fans over the years who got used to January evenings and late afternoons watching Tom Brady in the playoffs, they’ll be watching, but with very different emotions. I think you put all that together, we’ve got a really fascinating end to the Super Wild Card Weekend.

Tony, just in talking with you about the game Sunday night, as we were back in the studio together, and early this week, you’re really excited to, one, get to see Tom Brady in the playoffs, but this time from up in the booth instead of across the field on the opposite sideline.

TONY DUNGY: You’re right. It’s going to be much more pleasurable. I’m actually at the Tampa Bay practice right now. You talked about that excited fan base. I live here in Tampa. It is totally fired up and pumped up for Saturday night.

I have never seen Tom Brady play any better than these last four weeks. It’s been awesome to look at. His team is fired up around him.

But Washington, it’s going to be a great matchup because they have the antidote. They have a very strong defense, they have a great front four, young, fast, aggressive people. It’s going to be great to see. I’m looking forward to calling my first NFL playoff game.

Q. I believe it’s the Sunday game you’re simulcasting on Peacock. Going forward, do you see simulcasting things on Peacock? Is that a one-off thing?

PETE BEVACQUA: You’re right. Our Sunday game is the one that will be on Peacock, obviously as well as NBC. When we talked to the NFL, when the additional Wild Card games became available, we negotiated for one of them, it was important for us to also acquire the rights for Peacock. Peacock is obviously a major part of our future. We are seeing that sports on Peacock really does have great success. We’ve seen success with the Premier League, with the U.S. Open. We’ll continue to chart that success.

We have made no decisions necessarily about the future of additional games on Peacock. We’re just excited about this first game on Peacock this Sunday. We’re looking forward to seeing how it is received by the fan base.

Q. For anyone who wants to answer it, Boston’s hometown team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Everyone talks about Tom Brady, but I’m curious about the other guy. Rob Gronkowski, played 16 games this year, numbers were a little bit down, but he did catch seven touchdowns. What have you seen from Gronk and how important is he to the offense?

TONY DUNGY: I think he’s very important. He has rounded into form. Obviously when you don’t play for a year, it takes a little while to get back. I think he’s done that. At first it was more in the blocking, then he got more comfortable, and now you see him kind of back to his old form. I think he’s going to be very much a force in the playoffs. He’s someone that Tom has looked to in this final stretch of the year. He’s looked more like the Rob Gronkowski we’re used to this last month of the season.

CRIS COLLINSWORTH: I agree. I know when we were getting ready for our game with Tampa, his shoulder just was not right. I’ve watched Gronkowski block for hundreds of games, and he simply wasn’t right. I think now that’s getting healthier, I think his legs are getting under him. You throw Antonio Brown into that mix, starting to round into form, they’re starting to look pretty good.

Q. Pete, how would you describe your level of interest in keeping Sunday Night Football?

PETE BEVACQUA: I would say it’s tremendously high. The NFL partnership for us is obviously of extreme importance. When you talk about how I started the conversation that we’ve been fortunate enough to have the number one show on primetime television now for hopefully 10 years in a row. We all know what a great property the NFL is. So it is an absolute priority for us to retain our partnership with the NFL, 100%.

Q. Al and Cris, on Sunday, did you get any feedback from either the NFL or the Eagles about your stance on how they played the quarterback position on Sunday?

AL MICHAELS: I haven’t. We’re doing it in real-time. That’s what we felt at that moment in time. I thought it was appropriate considering what was going on to reflect what I think most of the fandom felt, not only New York but the rest of the country.

No, I haven’t heard anything. Have you, Cris?

CRIS COLLINSWORTH: Nothing. No. Sometimes I do (laughter). Sometimes I do. This is one I didn’t.

Q. Fred, I think last I’ve seen there won’t be fans in Washington, there probably won’t be in Pittsburgh. If that is the case, is there anything you can do differently in the booth, on the field to create or display that playoff atmosphere that won’t be there from the fans?

FRED GAUDELLI: Well, I know Washington already said they won’t have fans. Pittsburgh I think will have 2,500. I think they’re hopeful that there could be 6,500. I’m not sure where that stands. 6,500 people in 70,000-seat stadium still looks empty.

I think we do what we did the entire season. We had for different games some fan component, whether it was fans virtually or bringing back shots that people could relate to. When we did the game in Buffalo, we talked about the Bills Mafia. When we did the game in New Orleans, we rolled in a package of all their fans. There wasn’t a way that Aaron Rodgers would have been able to operate the way he did that night if it had been a typical game in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

We met this morning, our production team did, and we talked about the Browns fans, what this means for them. Obviously you’re talking about two very passionate fan bases when you talk about Cleveland and Pittsburgh. There might be an element or two in this game regarding the fans.

But in terms of shooting or covering it, I don’t expect we’d be doing anything differently.

Q. Pete, to follow up on your answer regarding NBC’s interest in Sunday Night Football, philosophically would that interest extend if somehow the NFL wanted to parcel out a different package to NBC? I don’t want to put words in your mouth, but is that presumption you’re interested in being in the NFL business, you want some NFL football, if it turned out to be another package, NBC’s interest remains the same?

PETE BEVACQUA: I would tell you again, we think the NFL is a special property. Obviously from my role in our Sports group, it’s a priority for us to retain that partnership. But I would also tell you that we are very much singularly focused right now on retaining Sunday Night Football. It’s worked incredibly well for us really because of the power of the schedule, the power of the matchups, the power of the NFL brand.

Quite frankly, it’s because of the people on this phone call starting with Fred and Al and Cris and Michele and the great work they’ve done. We’ve seen how Mike, Tony, Kathryn, and others, Rob Hyland, all the great work we do with Football Night in America. It’s a time slot and a platform that has worked so well for us on NBC, I think we have a real ability to make big, important events bigger and more important. I think we’ve proven that with Sunday Night Football.

Our hope is that we can continue to do that well into the future.

Q. Fred, talked to a lot of producers and broadcasters about the Zoom calls you guys have done in lieu of production meetings. There’s a lot of thought this may become the norm for teams, particularly in the NFL where instead of meeting with people in person, you end up doing these on Zoom. Do you have any thoughts heading forward, if you think what’s been so standard for you guys, production meetings at a hotel or facility, will still happen, or do you think teams will adapt what’s been going on in the post-COVID universe?

FRED GAUDELLI: I hope they don’t adopt what’s going on right now. I think the thing I miss more than anything the entire year, the NFL plays into it, is just the human touch; shaking somebody’s hand, slapping them on the back, whatever you want to say. There’s value to that. You get to know people by sitting in a room and talking with them through the years.

Tom Brady, Drew Brees or Peyton Manning games, you’re going to lose something if it’s just Zoom. Now, I can see Zoom being used in situations where it’s a tight week or the team is getting in late or something like that. But it’s funny, two quarterbacks this year bemoaned the fact we were on Zoom: Aaron Rodgers two weeks ago, and Drew Brees early in the season.

I’m not going to say every player misses it, but they expressed the fact that they wish they could be sitting there. There is no way I’m a proponent for doing it this way going forward.

Q. Tony, could you shed some light on the decision Ron Rivera has for this weekend with his quarterback. Alex Smith has taken them this far, but I’m also sure you saw the game, he’s not 100%. How do you manage that as a coach, communicate that with the players?

TONY DUNGY: It’s really a difficult call. You know your team responds to Alex, you know he’s the best option for you to win, but you don’t want to put him out there if he doesn’t have a chance to be himself. That’s what you try to gauge during practice. You’re going to give him every opportunity, even if he’s not 100%. If he can win the game, you want to let him do that.

The question becomes how effective is he going to be? That’s always a difficult call. But I can tell you any head coach is going to give his starting quarterback, his ace, every opportunity. He’s going to bend over backwards to make that happen. It’s only going to be a situation where you say no, Alex really is going to struggle if we put him in.

I expect to see him out there at least starting the ball game.

Q. Tony and Cris, what does Washington have to do to pull off the upset here?

TONY DUNGY: They have to deal with the tempo of Tampa. Tampa wants to get big plays on offense and they want to pressure you on defense. It’s going to be up to their front to get pressure on Tom Brady so they can use seven guys in coverage and take away that big play, the quick strike from Tampa.

Then on the other side of the ball, they’re going to have to handle the pressure. Todd Bowles is going to bring heat. They’ve got to deal with it, not turn the ball over, then make a big play here and there. I don’t think they’re going to have to put up 40 points to win, but they’re going to have to take advantage, make some plays.

They’ll have an opportunity to do that.

CRIS COLLINSWORTH: I think the health of Terry McLaurin is going to be really key in that game. Tony is dead on. I remember the Green Bay game earlier this year [against Tampa Bay]. Green Bay jumped out to a 10-0 lead. I’m not sure they scored another point. They blitzed them relentlessly. Green Bay had no answer. It was amazing to watch it.

This is a first-class blitzing team. I think they’re missing Devin White in the game. So big plays have to be had. Terry McLaurin, you have to hope that he’s even healthier than what he was a week ago.

Q. Fred, how do you mix stadium sound with no fans, which is probably going to happen in D.C., and with some fans that you’ll have for the Steelers-Browns game? What have you learned from the setup this year you might be able to incorporate moving forward as things improve?

FRED GAUDELLI: Well, in terms of answering your first question, it won’t be the first time we have fans at a stadium this year. We did two games in Kansas City. I think we had fans in Arizona, maybe a couple other places. It’s really just a mix. You’re obviously going to play up the real fans. You will backfill with some of the artificial sound that all the networks have been utilizing this year.

The one thing we leaned into in the second half of the season was the sound coming off the field. Because there’s little or no one in the stadium, those sounds were heard in a way, I’ll reference the game in Vegas with Patrick Mahomes and Derek Carr, we were hearing things that you would never, ever hear before.

As it got colder, we know that’s more conducive to sound, getting natural sound off the field. It’s really just a mix issue, how you want to profile the different sounds that you’re getting and prioritize them.

Obviously Al, Cris, and Michele, number one priority. The other part of it is really leaning into the field with the opportunities that no fans provided this year in that regard.

Going forward, there were a lot of lessons learned this year. I know I’ve made quite a few notes, I’ll probably take a look at that once this season is over.

Q. Al or Cris, even Tony, when it comes to Steelers-Browns, it’s hard to ignore how tilted this rivalry has been towards Pittsburgh recently and historically. Some people don’t like to call it a rivalry, at least not any more. Is this maybe finally the era of Browns football, they can get over that hump that’s two hours to the east?

CRIS COLLINSWORTH: You know what’s kind of interesting about it is that now the Cleveland Browns are the power football team. The Pittsburgh Steelers are the throw-it-quick, passing kind of team. Forever you always thought of the Steelers as being this really going to thump you, get down to the fourth quarter, they have a four-point lead, they’re just got going to give up the ball, they’re going to run it right down the field. They’re going to play renegade, all the different things that go with it (laughter).

Now the Cleveland Browns have some ability, bad weather, multiple backs, catch-and-run kind of situations, a mobile quarterback. So I think they bring a good bit of it. Really, this Browns offensive line going against the Steelers defensive line is going to be one of the real highlights for me. I wish Joel Bitonio was going to be able to play in this thing, one of the best guards in football.

It’s power against power now. It’s really made the rivalry a little bit better for me.

TONY DUNGY: I’ll speak from my experience as a player and a coach. It’s always going to be a rivalry. I think there was a time when the Browns had never won a game in Three Rivers Stadium or hadn’t won in years and years. They were still knock-down, drag-out dogfights. Every time we went to Cleveland, it was a dogfight.

That is going to be there. I think you’re going to see the same type of game Sunday night.

AL MICHAELS: I’ll weigh in. Nothing lasts forever. Even though it’s been a one-sided rivalry, I think it’s the dawn of maybe a new era here. Pittsburgh is annually good and Cleveland should be pretty good for a number of years when you have a really good quarterback, a lot of fun. You have a great running back, a great offensive line. You have a head coach who did a hell of a job this year.

I think Cleveland-Pittsburgh is one of the better rivalries going forward.

Q. Fred, Mike, and Tony, what kind of conversations go on before the game talking about how much you talk with the name change throughout the broadcast for the casual viewers tuning in for the first time? Mike and Tony, what is it like calling Washington just by ‘Washington’ or ‘The Team’ rather than their former name? Is that something you have to stay conscious of throughout the broadcast?

MIKE TIRICO: The whole calling them the ‘Washington Football Team,’ obviously it’s an adjustment because we’ve called them something else our whole lives, our whole careers. I found doing it in studio for the 17 weeks of the year, you know, sometimes you get close to saying it, but kind of correct yourself or catch yourself beforehand.

You do your best. We’re all only human. You do your best during the week to practice that, make sure when it happens on Saturday night that it happens naturally.

Certainly, in terms of the football stuff, here we are in the playoff game. There’s been a lot of stuff that’s happened with the organization during the year. Here you are at a playoff game, which is one of the most significant moments of the season. You want to keep your focus on the game. The team has been on plenty of times during the year for all of the conversations that have taken place.

That’s at least how you approach it. But you come prepared for everything because you never know when something could become a significant topic on short notice.

FRED GAUDELLI: I would just say it’s a playoff game. We know what’s at stake. But even last week one of the things that we were talking about, whether it be the name change, the league’s investigation, the strife within the ownership, none of it is new. It’s pretty much been happening since the beginning of the season.

Other than using it the way I know Al used it the other night at the top of the show, forced to change your name for the first time in 87 years, turmoil with the ownership, it paints a picture, especially as it relates to (Ron) Rivera, along with the fact that he was battling cancer, what he had to overcome, Alex (Smith), what he had to overcome, but I don’t think it really warrants any deep inspection because there really isn’t any news at the moment. It’s something that, as Mike just said, has been ongoing really since the summer.

Q. Al, during the last telecast, you said people said the NFL’s TV ratings are down. They went from number one to number one, which is a pretty good line. My question about ratings is this: when did ratings, which is this arcane measurement that nobody outside the business cared about, become this political football where everybody wants to weigh in on the NFL’s ratings, good, bad or indifferent?

AL MICHAELS: That’s a great question. I think a lot of it has to do with — oh, how shall I put this — entertainment websites and the rest. We’re always talking about box office, this movie, that movie, the whole thing.

Ratings, they’re in this mix. I only say this because even all the people I know who are not in the business say to me, we heard the ratings are tanking. I mean, to me, the reality is, if we’re tanking then the whole world is tanking. I just threw that out there the other night. It’s a line I’ve used privately with a lot of people.

I said, ‘yeah, we went from number one to number one.’ It’s still the number one show on television. It’s still I think appointment television for a lot of people. Even though the ratings are down, I think we live in this world right now where we’re measuring everything against what took place in the past. When I have to see a headline that says: Sunday Night ratings get sacked, I’m thinking, excuse me? Sacked means we were No. 15 or 20.

Anyway, that’s the way I look at it. Like I say, as Pete mentioned at the top of this conference call, 10 years in a row being number one on television is pretty good. I don’t want to say it’s painful, but it’s a little frustrating to read about our ratings are getting sacked.

FRED GAUDELLI: I want to add on here, obviously it was the most unusual of years in a number of reasons. The political environment, COVID, sports playing out of season, major events happening out of season. It affected everybody. It affected every sport, every network.

Next year you might be writing, they’re up, like, 25% or 30%. To me it’s always a cyclical thing. The context that Al used there is the perfect thing. You’re still number one. There’s nothing to be ashamed of being number one.

Q. Cris and Tony, could you talk about the effect it’s going to have Baker Mayfield not to have Kevin Stefanski? Do either of you know Alex Van Pelt very well?

CRIS COLLINSWORTH: I know Alex has called a few games in the past. Those guys are going to work so closely together even this week. Tony knows a lot more about play calling and how all that works within the coaching staff. For the most part, I think the game plan is going to be put together virtually like it’s been all season. Kevin will have a lot to do with that.

Then Alex is going to call the plays on the field. But the NFL has also evolved to the point where so many of the calls are actually made by the quarterback. They give you an option of plays, audibles out there. The fact that there’s no crowd out there to disrupt the communication for an offensive football team, I think you’ll lose a little bit, to be perfectly honest with you. I think you’ll lose a little bit of having potentially the Coach of the Year on the field.

But as far as the pure play calling, other than the fact it’s the biggest game in the last couple of decades for the Cleveland Browns, it’s going to add some pressure to the whole thing.

Maybe in some ways it takes a little pressure off. They’re going to be running the same plays, still be turning around, handing it to Nick Chubb, throwing it to Kareem Hunt, getting Jarvis Landry involved. They’re going to be doing the same stuff.

Every once in a while, it’s nice to look over at your head coach, get a nod or a pat on the back and that will make a difference, too.

TONY DUNGY: No doubt, Cris, they’re going to miss Kevin Stefanski not being there on the sidelines. The actual mechanics of it are not going to be that difficult. They’re all in the process of formulating the game plan and the calls. What Alex Van Pelt wants to know, what Kevin Stefanski wants to know, is what play is Baker Mayfield really comfortable with. It’s that crucial 3rd and 5, what does he feel good about? Alex will have a good feel for that.

I sat on the headphones for seven years with Tom Moore, he called every play. There was never a play that he called that I was surprised. I didn’t think we were going to call that on 3rd and 6. I would have never thought that. Everybody is on the same page. It’s just those critical moments when that play-caller and the quarterback, they’re in sync. He knows what the quarterback wants.

I think also they will have that to a great extent, maybe not like Kevin would, but it’s going to be close.

Q. A quick thing about Baker, on such a hot streak, now he hasn’t been throwing for 300 yards the last couple games. Do you see anything there?

CRIS COLLINSWORTH: The only thing I’d say about Baker, man, his runs had a lot to do with that game the other day. They clinched it, a quarterback sweep, almost fell out of my chair. It was a great call. Got the extra blocker out in front.

Baker was running hard. I mean, he probably ran the ball four or five times, but he was running like a fullback. He was running like he was born in Cleveland and it meant something a little bit extra to him.

I think that he has really become sort of the embodiment of that fighting spirit right now of the Cleveland Browns, that poor fan base that doesn’t get to go to the games right now. I just got to feel like the people in Cleveland are about ready to explode to get back into that stadium and cheer with a packed house the way that they used to do back in the day I can remember so well.

I think, if anything, Baker has even kind of risen here a little bit lately. He’s made some big throws. He’s doing most of it without Odell Beckham Jr. They miss Odell when they get into some of those single-coverage situations. It sort of galvanized the rest of the team, too, forced some people to move forward with that receiving corporation. Probably Donovan Peoples-Jones, the number one person on that list.

They may be a better team going into next year once Odell comes back.

TONY DUNGY: I would say, too, it’s not always numbers. It’s what you have to do to win games. If Baker has to put up big passing numbers, I believe he’ll be able to do that.

His focus is on winning the game. I think he’s played well in spite of the fact that the numbers maybe haven’t been what they were earlier in the year.

Q. Talk about Tom Brady, the sort of relationship, the respect, the humor that you guys maintain.

TONY DUNGY: The whole Indy-New England thing, we had great respect for them. We played a lot of big games against each other. I didn’t know Tom that well when he was playing for New England and I was coaching, but got to know him through some of his ex-teammates, Adam Vinatieri, guys like that, then Rodney Harrison for the last 12 years.

We have a lot of love and respect for each other. He sent my son Jordan a Tom Brady jersey, probably the biggest Tampa Bay fan in the city. Very sweet of Tom to do that.

It’s all in good fun. Tremendous respect for one another.

Q. Cris, you mentioned Joe Bitonio a little bit. How much do you think that affects the battle you’re looking forward to see?

CRIS COLLINSWORTH: A lot. I think it impacts it a lot in part because of who they’ve got behind it, between Nick Harris and Chris Hubbard, the guys that were supposed to take his place. Who fits into that guard position now? Especially when you’re going against the likes of (Stephon) Tuitt, (Cameron) Hayward, (Tyson) Alualu, you’re a power running team anyway. The pass protection being such a key component part of it.

We talked about it a little bit on the broadcast the other night. 5/11ths of the football team are offensive linemen. The strength of your team, which I think the strength of the Cleveland Browns, is their offensive line. When one of those key guys gets taken out of it, that can be a little bit of a tough go for a football team.

They’ve been through it before. Wyatt Teller didn’t play the last time we called the game. They survived that one pretty well, so I presume they’ll survive here, too.

Q. Coach, you mentioned the Browns-Steelers rivalry. You were part of it for a bit. What is your favorite memory from your time playing against the Browns?

TONY DUNGY: Well, I can remember the first time I played them in 1977, going to Cleveland, Jack Lambert told me, whatever you do, once you come out of the dugout, don’t take your helmet off on the field because these fans don’t like us, they’re crazy. As a rookie, I put that in my memory bank, I never took my helmet off.

He got thrown out of the game for taking his helmet off. I remember looking at him and saying, what did you just tell me (laughter)?

It was that type of game. We had some back and forth with those guys. They were always tough games. Healthy respect. But it was pretty strong, no question about it.

Q. For Cris and Tony, obviously from Washington’s perspective, pressure on Tom Brady is going to be key. That seems easier said than done. What is the key for them to do that? On the other side of the ball, what have you seen from Scott Turner this year that suggests he could have success against the Tampa defense?

TONY DUNGY: I’ve been watching them. You’re absolutely right. Jack Del Rio, Ron Rivera, this defense is built around rushing with four guys and covering with seven. They’ve got five tremendous rushers. They’ve got to alternate those guys in the defensive front. They got to pick their spots to blitz and create pressure.

But those four guys have to pressure. That’s their style. If they don’t pressure Tom Brady, it’s going to be a long day. If they are able to, they’ll have some success.

Tampa’s protection has been excellent this year. That to me is going to be the battle and the key to the game.

On the other side, we talked about it earlier, Todd Bowles is going to bring heat, things from a lot of different directions. Scott Turner is going to have to dial up some plays to beat that blitz.

There is pressure on him to do that because that’s what’s going to happen. It will be great to see how it plays out. I think you’re right, for Washington to win, Scott Turner is going to have to have a good game and that defensive front is going to have to have a good game.

CRIS COLLINSWORTH: It’s interesting with Scott Turner, he comes from a family and a background that running the football is important. You can sense that. They move their offensive line a lot. They’ll get blockers in front. They have really versatile backs with (J.D.) McKissic and (Antonio) Gibson. They kind of give them the ability to look like they’re running, then throw the ball, or vice versa.

They can use that, but I think the one thing with the blitzing team that maybe people don’t think about so often is that sometimes you can wash down one of those blitzes and pop a run, slow a blitz down, too.

I think with Alex Smith, obviously going through what he’s going through with his leg and the calf, the whole thing, there’s a chance that you’ll see Washington pop a couple good runs in this one and slow that blitz down.

Q. As noted earlier, number one for the 10th straight year, going from number one to number one. My question is, given that number one position, which is not in question, there are still fluctuations, challenges this year, when you look to the long-term, to what extent do you think you can further grow that audience? If so, how do you do that as far as certain demographics or audience groups, parts of the country? How do you think about the long-term audience growth?

PETE BEVACQUA: I’ll hop in and turn it over to Fred for his ideas.

Again, I think it starts with the power of NFL programming and the power of the sport. I mean, there’s a passion for people to watch their NFL teams play great games. The fact that you were able to tune in to NBC primetime on Sundays is just a fantastic experience.

I think what we found over the course of this last nine months, if you go back over the time period, I think back to March where I was at THE PLAYERS Championship, part of our PGA TOUR partnership, over the course of 36 hours, sports came to an absolute standstill when we think about the cancellation of the PGA TOUR events, the National Hockey League, the NBA. I think that time period was a real reminder just about how strong the passion level for sports is in this country, how people miss sports so desperately.

I think as Fred said accurately, this fall and summer with sports coming back, sports being played, at times they’re not normally being played, you think about the U.S. Open in golf that we had, which is historically played on Father’s Day weekend, all of a sudden we were doing it in September. I remember our Thursday night NFL opener, I think it was the first time in the history of sports where you had the NFL, PGA TOUR golf, Major League Baseball, the NHL, the NBA all played on the same day. There was kind of this mass swarm of live sports coming back.

But what’s so powerful in sports again is the passion and how people want to watch sports as they’re happening. They want to watch sports as it’s live. We think the NFL will continue to be a dominant property. We know that the effort that we put into the partnership, granted I’m biased, with the best people in the business like Fred, Al, Cris, Michele, our full team out front and behind the scenes, you couple the power of that team with the power of the property, and we just think it’s an absolute recipe for continued success.

Fred, from your perspective, I don’t know if you have anything to add.

FRED GAUDELLI: I would just say from day one, the magic of Sunday Night Football has been the schedule. I think the first promotional line was the best team, the brightest stars, the best games. For 15 years that’s pretty much what it’s been.

Then when something we thought was going to be great fell apart because of injury or for whatever reason, it was the first time we had flexible schedule go ahead where you could get out of a game that didn’t turn out to be as good as you thought it was going to be back in the spring, get into a more meaningful game.

To me the growth of Sunday Night Football is going to hinge on what it’s hinged on for the previous 15 years: getting the games that people want to see, with the players that people want to see, and the matchups that people want to see.

Q. With everything that’s gone on through this year, do you think Ron Rivera should be in the Coach of the Year situation?

MIKE TIRICO: Absolutely. Just personally with him, what he’s had to deal with and overcome, obviously everything with the team. You’re still looking at a team that’s had four quarterbacks during the year, the breakout stars not as abundant as other teams. Yet his steadiness and leadership…

I got to do the first playoff game. I had a chance to do play-by-play for was Ron Rivera against Bruce Arians. It was on a foggy day in Charlotte against a Carolina team that was 7-9. A lot of these same conversations were had about that team at that point. It speaks to Ron’s steadiness over the years, what he’s been able to do to get this team to the postseason.

It is 7-8-1, the Carolina team, not 7-9.

Absolutely he deserves to be in that conversation for what he’s done this year, not just the personal story, but the team on this field and amidst the tumult in the organization.

Q. Al and Cris, something you said earlier, it could be the dawn of a new era in Cleveland with the Browns. As you look at this franchise, what makes it potentially different this time that they finally had success and sustain it down the line?

AL MICHAELS: You’re always talking about a coach and quarterback combination. When you look at it right now, I know Stefanski has only had one year, but he’s done a heck of a job obviously. Baker Mayfield, after maybe last year, wasn’t a great year for him, but I think Tony summed it up perfectly, maybe the numbers aren’t fantastic, but when you watch him play, you understand it.

When you have a coach and a quarterback situation like that, which appears to be highly promising for the future, great offensive line, Cris talked about that, a great running back in Chubb, another running back in Hunt, Myles Garrett on the other side, all these guys. They’ve got a lot of stars as well. Landry, you put him in that mix. A lot of players who are well-known now not only around the league, but for the viewing public.

I think that’s why when you look at this team, clearly this is a team very much ascending.

CRIS COLLINSWORTH: Yeah, one of Al’s favorite subjects, this is a team that’s based on analytics, as well. They spent a ton of money gathering a group of really smart people, I mean, really smart people. I know a bunch of these guys and ladies.

I think they’re all in. They’ve attacked this from every front. They’ve got a great stadium now. The fan base is amazing. Analytics are great to keep Al happy (laughter). Hopefully, I know they’re thinking they’ve got their quarterback and coach now. A lot of things going in the right direction.

TONY DUNGY: I’m going to go away from the analytics, tell you why they’re going to be good. I talked to Kevin Stefanski a few times. He’s changed the attitude and the culture. Nothing to do with analytics. They chart on offense the number of times they knock a defensive player off his feet. They keep track of that. They’re doing it at a very high rate. The leader in that category is Jarvis Landry.

When you get everybody on the team buying into that’s going to be our philosophy, we’re going to be tougher and more physical than the other team, that’s going to go a long way.

When you put those great players, exciting guys together with that mentality that Kevin has taken there, I think that’s why they’re going to be good for a long, long time.

CRIS COLLINSWORTH: That’s analytics, though, those cut blocks (laughter).

TONY DUNGY: Very analytical, yes (laughter).

Q. Fred, you guys always have a massive show every week. Are we going to see anything new in terms of production elements, added cameras for this weekend’s games we haven’t seen before?

FRED GAUDELLI: I don’t think so. We’re at Super Bowl levels for every Sunday, practically. We feel really good about our complement of equipment. Just going to go in there and try to cover the game as well as we always do, with the pizazz that is Sunday Night Football.

Q. Some of the stuff that’s been really cool this season that you’re most excited about, putting the 4K camera has been really cool, some of the virtual graphics. Anything that sticks out in your mind that you’ve been super excited about this year?

FRED GAUDELLI: I think that 4K camera has a lot more potential, something that I really plan to spend a lot more time in the off-season working with SkyCam and Sony to figure out how we can get more out of it, stabilize it more while still being able to use it live in a regular type of replay. That was one of the things I’m most excited about for the offseason, getting to work on that.

Then you mentioned the virtual graphics. Again, I think there’s more to gain in that particular area, as well. Definitely will be a focus for the offseason.

Q. Fred, you just mentioned pizazz, Super Bowl level production for the games on Sunday night. Will there be some different elements for what we might see on NBC versus Peacock versus Telemundo?

FRED GAUDELLI: Peacock is taking I believe the entire NBC feed. I’m sure they’ll have some different commercial integration. Maybe Pete can answer that better than I can. The promotional content will be probably very much tailored to Peacock. Telemundo I would probably say the exact same thing for.

All the special elements in this game will be about the two teams in the game, the star players, the history of the teams, their season histories. That’s where all the special elements will get added for this week.

Q. Pete, the different commercial integrations for the various telecasts. Peacock has a lighter ad load than the NBC network for sure. Telemundo reaches a different audience. Speak a little bit about that.

PETE BEVACQUA: I think Fred kind of nailed it. Obviously the game will be the same both on Peacock and Telemundo, in a different language on Telemundo. The game on Peacock will be simulcast. It will be good for us. We’re looking forward to seeing how it comes across on Peacock, obviously also very excited about Telemundo.

In our conversations with the NFL, I think it’s a goal of theirs to reach as broad and as diverse an audience as possible. With our Telemundo station and the audience that it obviously captures, we think it’s a great move for us and a great move for the NFL.

It should be a great, interesting and successful Sunday.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, everybody, for joining us today. We look forward to our two primetime games this weekend.

Filed Under: NBC, Sunday Night Football, transcript, Uncategorized

DECADE OF DOMINANCE: NBC’S “SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL” CONCLUDES SEASON ON PACE TO BE TV’S #1 PRIMETIME SHOW FOR UNPRECEDENTED 10TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

January 6, 2021 By admin

NBC SNF Tops Primetime Competition in Average Viewership and HH Rating & Delivers 7 of 10 Most-Watched Primetime Telecasts on Any Network Since September 

SNF Wins among Adults 18-49 for 13th Consecutive Fall Season

 NBC’s Football Night in America is Sports’ #1 Weekly Studio Show for 15th Consecutive Year 

NBC Sports Digital Sets SNF Streaming Record for Average Minute Audience, Up 24% from 2019 

STAMFORD, Conn. – Jan. 6, 2021 – With last Sunday night’s Washington-Philadelphia matchup, NBC concluded its 15th season of Sunday Night Football, topping all primetime television series in the fall and once again pacing to finish as primetime’s #1 TV show in all key metrics for an unprecedented 10th consecutive year. NBC’s SNF extended its record for the most consecutive years atop the charts (since 1950), based on official live plus same day data provided by Nielsen.

Most Consecutive Years, #1 Ranked Show in Primetime, Since 1950

10 years in a row – Sunday Night Football (2011-12 through 2020-21; on pace)

6 years in a row – American Idol (2005-06 through 2010-11)

5 years in a row – The Cosby Show (1985-86 through 1989-90)…tied Cheers in ‘89-90

5 years in a row – All in the Family (1971-72 through 1975-76)

4 years in a row – Gunsmoke (1957-58 through 1960-61)

 

NBC Sunday Night Football posted a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) average of 17.4 million viewers for the 2020 season, according to official national live plus same day data released by Nielsen, and digital data from Adobe Analytics.

“We salute our tireless production and engineering teams, NFL players, and clubs for their effort and perseverance in completing a most challenging season. We are extremely proud of our decade as primetime television’s No. 1 show, and are looking forward to the playoffs,” said Pete Bevacqua, Chairman, NBC Sports Group. “It’s tremendous to be airing two games on NBC on Super Wild Card Weekend, including the first-ever NFL game streamed on our new Peacock platform and the first-ever NFL postseason game on the Telemundo broadcast network.”

NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL AMONG GREATEST DYNASTIES IN AMERICAN SPORTS

 

Following is a look at NBC SNF’s 10 years of primetime dominance in the context of the winningest decades of great American sports dynasties:

Dominant 10-Year Spans in U.S. Team Sports

10 times TV’s #1 primetime show – NBC Sunday Night Football (2011-12 through 2020-21; on pace)

9 NBA championships – Boston Celtics (1956-57 to 1965-66)

9 NCAA Division I Men’s College Basketball championships – UCLA (1963-64 to 1972-73)

7 World Series championships – New York Yankees (multiple times)

6 Stanley Cup championships – Toronto Maple Leafs (1941-42 to 1950-51) and Montreal Canadiens (multiple times)

6 NCAA Division I Women’s College Basketball championships – Connecticut (2008-09 to 2015-16)

5 NFL championships – Green Bay Packers (1961-67)

5 NCAA Division I Football championships (since 1900) – Minnesota (1934-41) and Alabama (2009-17)

 

    • FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA IS MOST-WATCHED STUDIO SHOW FOR 15TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

 

NBC’s Football Night in America studio show averaged 6.0 million viewers from 7:30-8:15 p.m. ET this season. FNIA continues its reign as sports’ most-watched weekly studio show for the 15th consecutive year (since the show’s 2006 debut season). In addition, the 8-8:23 p.m. ET portion of Football Night in America (including pre-kick coverage), averaged 10.4 million viewers, and a 3.0 rating among Adults 18-49, which would respectively rank No. 5 and No. 4 among regularly-scheduled primetime shows in the demographic.

 

    • SNF POSTS HUGE VIEWERSHIP & RATINGS ADVANTAGES OVER PRIMETIME’S #2 SHOW

 

NBC Sunday Night Football averaged 16.8 million TV viewers in 2020, which topped the #2 primetime show by 19%. SNF also beat the top scripted series (NCIS) by 73% in the fall.

Top Fall 2020 Primetime Programs, Viewership (TV only)

Program Avg. Viewers SNF Advantage
Sunday Night Football 16.8 million —
Thursday Night Football* 14.1 million 19%
Monday Night Football 12.2 million 38%
60 Minutes 11.1 million 51%
NCIS 9.7 million 73%

(Source: Nielsen, Live + Same Day Viewing, Sept. 10, 2020-Jan. 3, 2021; regularly-scheduled programs; excludes pre- and post-shows); *9 FOX/NFLN telecasts

 

SNF averaged an 9.3/20 household rating in posting a 21% advantage over primetime’s #2 show. SNF also easily topped the highest-rated scripted series (NCIS), with a 60% margin.

Top Fall 2020 Primetime Programs, U.S. HH Rating (TV only)

Program U.S. HH Rating SNF Advantage
Sunday Night Football 9.3 —
Thursday Night Football* 7.7 21%
Monday Night Football 6.9 35%
60 Minutes 6.7 39%
NCIS 5.8 60%

 

(Source: Nielsen, Live + Same Day Viewing, Sept. 10, 2020-Jan. 3, 2021; regularly-scheduled programs; excludes pre- and post-shows); *9 FOX/NFLN telecasts

 

    • DEMO DOMINANCE — SNF WINS ADULT 18-49 DEMO FOR 13TH CONSECUTIVE FALL SEASON

 

SNF averaged a 4.9 rating in the Adult 18-49 demographic, ranking as primetime television’s #1 show in the advertiser-coveted demo for the 13th consecutive fall TV season.

Top Fall 2020 Primetime Programs, Adult 18-49 Rating (TV only)

Program Adult 18-49 Rating SNF Advantage
Sunday Night Football 4.9 —
Thursday Night Football* 4.1 20%
Monday Night Football 3.7 32%
The Masked Singer 1.7 188%
60 Minutes 1.4 250%

(Source: Nielsen, Live + Same Day Viewing, Sept. 10, 2020-Jan. 3, 2021; regularly-scheduled programs; excludes pre- and post-shows); *9 FOX/NFLN telecasts

 

NBC SNF GAMES PRODUCE 7 OF 10 MOST-WATCHED PRIMETIME SHOWS THIS FALL

NBC Sunday Night Football accounted for seven of the top 10, and 14 of the 20 most-watched primetime telecasts between Sept. 10, 2020 and Jan. 3, 2021.

Most-Watched Primetime Shows This Fall (Sept. 10, 2020-Jan. 3, 2021), TV only

Show, Date Avg. Viewers
NBC Sunday Night Football (Texans-Chiefs), 9/10 20.6 million
NBC Sunday Night Football (Chiefs-Raiders), 11/22 19.6 million
ESPN CFP Semifinal (Ohio State-Clemson), 1/1 19.1 million*
NBC Sunday Night Football (Cowboys-Rams), 9/13 19.0 million
NBC Sunday Night Football (Titans-Packers), 12/27 18.4 million
FOX News Presidential Debate, 9/29 17.9 million
NBC Sunday Night Football (Packers-Saints), 9/27 17.9 million
NBC Sunday Night Football (Patriots-Seahawks), 9/20 17.8 million
CBS 60 Minutes, 10/25 17.4 million
NBC Sunday Night Football (Broncos-Chiefs), 12/6 17.1 million

 

Source: Nielsen, Live + Same Day Data, 9/10/20-1/3/21; Excludes Pre- and Post-Shows

*Viewership across three television networks

 

SNF AVERAGE (P2+) VIEWERSHIP RANK AMONG PRIMETIME SHOWS: 

Fall TV Season                                   Full TV Season

2020 No. 1 Show 1st (through 1/3/21)
2019 No. 1 Show 1st
2018 No. 1 Show 1st
2017 No. 1 Show 1st
2016 No. 1 Show 1st
2015 No. 1 Show 1st
2014 No. 1 Show 1st
2013 No. 1 Show 1st
2012 No. 1 Show 1st
2011 No. 1 Show 1st
2010 No. 1 Show 3rd 
2009 No. 2 Show 4th
2008 No. 5 Show 8th
2007 No. 7 Show 8th
2006 No. 7 Show 9th

 Source: The Nielsen Company, Live + Same Day Viewing

 

SNF SETS STREAMING RECORD: NBC Sports Digital hit another viewership milestone for Sunday Night Football in 2020, with a record Average Minute Audience of 571,000 viewers across NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app, NFL Digital platforms, and Verizon Media mobile properties – up 24% from the prior record (459,000) set last year.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL TOP 20 METERED MARKETS – 2020 SEASON:

For the third consecutive year, and sixth time (2010, 2011 and 2013) in 11 seasons, New Orleans was the top-rated SNF market. Milwaukee was the top-rated SNF market in 2017 and 2012, while Denver ranked #1 for three consecutive seasons from 2014-16.

1. New Orleans 20.2/30
2. Kansas City 18.9/32
3. Seattle 18.4/34
4. Milwaukee 16.8/30
5. Albuquerque 15.0/25
T6. Philadelphia 14.1/25
T6. San Diego 14.1/27
T6. Las Vegas 14.1/25
9. Pittsburgh 14.0/24
10. Buffalo 13.8/23
11. Sacramento 13.7/26
12. Denver 13.5/26
13. Richmond 13.3/24
14. Nashville 13.2/23
15. Baltimore 12.7/23
T16. Providence 12.6/23
T16. Dallas 12.6/25
18. Minneapolis 12.5/26
T19. Washington, D.C. 12.2/24
T19. Portland 12.2/25

 

NBC will televise a pair of games on NFL Super Wild Card Weekend. This Saturday, Jan. 9 in primetime, six-time Super Bowl-winner Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit Alex Smith and the NFC East champion Washington Football Team, with coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET with a special Football Night in America. Then on Sunday night Jan. 10, two-time NFL champion Ben Roethlisberger and the AFC North-winner Pittsburgh Steelers host Baker Mayfield and the division-rival Cleveland Browns, with coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET with a special FNIA on NBC and Peacock.

 

–SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL–

Filed Under: NBC, NFL, Sunday Night Football, Uncategorized

*REMINDER* AL MICHAELS, CRIS COLLINSWORTH, MIKE TIRICO & TONY DUNGY PREVIEW NBC SPORTS’ NFL WILD CARD MATCHUPS ON CONFERENCE CALL TOMORROW, JAN. 6, AT NOON ET

January 5, 2021 By admin

NBC Sports Group Chairman Pete Bevacqua and SNF Executive Producer Fred Gaudelli Join NFL Super Wild Card Weekend Conference Call

Tom Brady & Buccaneers Face Alex Smith & Washington Football Team on Saturday at 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC and Universo

Ben Roethlisberger & Steelers Host Baker Mayfield & Browns on Sunday at 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo

Dial 800-437-2398 to Participate

STAMFORD, Conn. – Jan. 5, 2021 – NBC Sports’ Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Mike Tirico and Tony Dungy will be joined by NBC Sports Group Chairman Pete Bevacqua and Sunday Night Football executive producer Fred Gaudelli to preview NBC Sports’ two NFL Super Wild Card Weekend matchups on a media conference call tomorrow, Wednesday, Jan. 6, at Noon ET.

Media interested in participating should call 800-437-2398; Passcode: 5261951.

  • WHAT: NBC Sports NFL Super Wild Card Preview Conference Call
  • WHO: Pete Bevacqua, Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Mike Tirico, Tony Dungy and Fred Gaudelli
  • WHEN: Tomorrow, Wednesday, Jan. 6, at Noon ET
  • NUMBER: 800-437-2398
  • PASSCODE: 5261951

NBC Sports presents a pair of NFL Super Wild Card matchups this weekend, beginning with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visiting the Washington Football Team on Saturday at 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC. Mike Tirico will call the matchup alongside Tony Dungy with Kathryn Tappen reporting from the sidelines. Universo will also televise the game live in Spanish.

On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers will host the rival Cleveland Browns at 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC and simulcast on Peacock. Al Michaels will join Cris Collinsworth in the booth and Michele Tafoya will serve as the sideline reporter. Three-time Super Bowl referee Terry McAulay serves as the rules analyst for both Wild Card games. Telemundo will also present a live Spanish-language broadcast of the game.

Coverage begins both nights at 7:30 p.m. ET with special playoff editions of Football Night in America.

–NBC SPORTS–

Filed Under: NBC, Sunday Night Football, Uncategorized

AL MICHAELS, CRIS COLLINSWORTH, MIKE TIRICO & TONY DUNGY PREVIEW NBC SPORTS’ NFL WILD CARD MATCHUPS ON CONFERENCE CALL THIS WEDNESDAY, JAN. 6, AT NOON ET

January 4, 2021 By admin

NBC Sports Group Chairman Pete Bevacqua and SNF Executive Producer Fred Gaudelli Join NFL Super Wild Card Weekend Conference Call

Tom Brady & Buccaneers Face Alex Smith & Washington Football Team on Saturday at 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC and Universo

Ben Roethlisberger & Steelers Host Baker Mayfield & Browns on Sunday at 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo

Dial 800-437-2398 to Participate

STAMFORD, Conn. – Jan. 4, 2021 – NBC Sports’ Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Mike Tirico and Tony Dungy will be joined by NBC Sports Group Chairman Pete Bevacqua and Sunday Night Football executive producer Fred Gaudelli to preview NBC Sports’ two NFL Super Wild Card Weekend matchups on a media conference call this Wednesday, Jan. 6, at Noon ET.

Media interested in participating should call 800-437-2398; Passcode: 5261951.

  • WHAT: NBC Sports NFL Super Wild Card Preview Conference Call
  • WHO: Pete Bevacqua, Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Mike Tirico, Tony Dungy and Fred Gaudelli
  • WHEN: Wednesday, Jan. 6, at Noon ET
  • NUMBER: 800-437-2398
  • PASSCODE: 5261951

NBC Sports presents a pair of NFL Super Wild Card matchups this weekend, beginning with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visiting the Washington Football Team on Saturday at 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC. Mike Tirico will call the matchup alongside Tony Dungy with Kathryn Tappen reporting from the sidelines. Universo will also televise the game live in Spanish.

On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers will host the rival Cleveland Browns at 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC and simulcast on Peacock. Al Michaels will join Cris Collinsworth in the booth and Michele Tafoya will serve as the sideline reporter. Three-time Super Bowl referee Terry McAulay serves as the rules analyst for both Wild Card games. Telemundo will also present a live Spanish-language broadcast of the game.

Coverage begins both nights at 7:30 p.m. ET with special playoff editions of Football Night in America.

–NBC SPORTS–

Filed Under: NBC, Sunday Night Football, Uncategorized

WASHINGTON VISITS PHILADELPHIA WITH CHANCE TO CLINCH NFC EAST TITLE IN #GAME256 THIS WEEK ON SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

December 30, 2020 By admin

With a Victory in Final Regular Season Game, Washington Clinches NFC East Title and Secures Conference’s No. 4 Seed

Coverage Begins with Football Night in America at 7 p.m. ET; Followed by 8:20 p.m. ET SNF Kickoff

“Sunday Night 7” Free-to-Play Game Features $100,000 Jackpot Every Contest

STAMFORD, Conn. – Dec. 30, 2020 – The Washington Football Team can win the NFC East division title and the NFC’s No. 4 seed with a victory against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL regular-season finale (#Game256) on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with Football Night in America on NBC, followed by kickoff at 8:20 p.m. ET from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

Washington (6-9) looks to claim their first division title since 2015 and their third NFC East championship since realignment in 2002. Winners of four of their past six games, Washington ranks second in the NFC in scoring defense (21.0 points allowed per game) and has not allowed more than 20 points in a game since Week 10.

Quarterback Alex Smith, the favorite to win the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award after returning to the field this season following a severe leg injury in 2018, is expected to start this weekend vs. the Eagles. Smith is 4-1 in five starts this year and holds a career regular-season record of 98-67-1 (.563), the sixth-highest winning percentage among active quarterbacks with at least 100 starts.

Defensive end Chase Young, who has 6.5 sacks and four forced fumbles, is one of two rookies to make the Pro Bowl this year (Minnesota wide receiver Justin Jefferson) and joins guard Brandon Scherff as Washington’s 2021 Pro Bowlers. Washington running back Antonio Gibson leads all NFL rookies with 11 rushing touchdowns this season.

Washington and Philadelphia met in Week 1 this season, with Washington earning a 27-17 victory in head coach Ron Rivera’s first game with the team.

Since taking over as the team’s starting quarterback in Week 14, Eagles rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts has averaged 282.3 passing yards and 79.3 rushing yards per game, while accounting for six total touchdowns (five passing, one rushing). Last week, wide receiver DeSean Jackson caught an 81-yard touchdown pass, marking his fifth career touchdown catch of at least 80 yards, tied for the most in NFL history.

The Eagles had three players named to the 2021 Pro Bowl: interior lineman Fletcher Cox, defensive end Brandon Graham, and center Jason Kelce.

Calling Philadelphia-Washington is Al Michaels (play-by-play), in his record 35th season as the voice of the NFL’s premier primetime package; 16-time Emmy Award-winner Cris Collinsworth; and three-time Emmy Award-winning sideline reporter Michele Tafoya. Three-time Super Bowl referee Terry McAulay is the Sunday Night Football rules analyst.

NBC’s coverage of Sunday Night Football is led by executive producer Fred Gaudelli and director Drew Esocoff. SNF is the only show to win 10 Sports Emmy Awards for Outstanding Live Sports Series.

Mike Tirico hosts Football Night in America at 7 p.m. ET alongside Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy, two-time Super Bowl champion Rodney Harrison, former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, and NFL Insider Mike Florio. Football Night is produced by Rob Hyland and directed by Mike Sheehan.

In addition, Steve Kornacki, NBC News’ celebrated political correspondent, returns to FNIA for the remainder of the season to analyze the NFL playoff picture from the Big Board following the conclusion of the afternoon games. For more information about Steve Kornacki, click here.

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, mobile, 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. NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app are available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox, and Chromecast.

TELEMUNDO DEPORTES PRESENTS FULL SEASON OF SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Telemundo Deportes will televise the entire NBC Sunday Night Football package live including all Sunday night regular-season games, the NFL Kickoff game, the annual Thanksgiving night game and three Playoff Games. Universo will televise 21 games, with Telemundo to broadcast the newly-added primetime NFL Wild Card playoff game on Sunday, January 10. Coverage of the 2020 NFL season across both Telemundo and sister network, Universo, mark the first time ever that the full SNF schedule is available in Spanish-language in the U.S.

“SUNDAY NIGHT 7” FREE-TO-PLAY GAME RETURNS WITH $100,000 JACKPOT EVERY CONTEST

Once again this season, in the build-up to each week’s Sunday Night Football matchup, fans can participate in NBC Sports’ free-to-play game, Sunday Night 7, which features a $100,000 jackpot every contest over the course of the regular season and NBC NFL playoff games. Sunday Night 7 is available for download NOW on the NBC Sports Predictor app (available in the App Store and Google Play Store) and at NBCSports.com/Predictor.

Last week, four users tied for first place with a score of 50 points, each taking home over $500.

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. It was announced in May 2019 that King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com; making regular appearances on PFT Live with Mike Florio; and continuing to contribute to Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.

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.

ROTOWORLD

Rotoworld offers comprehensive fantasy football coverage throughout the 2020 NFL season across NBC Sports’ platforms. Rotoworld’s Fantasy Football Draft Guide and premium tools are available for purchase now via Rotoworld’s new subscription model, beginning at only $3.99 per month. The industry-leading source for fantasy football news and information, the 2020 Rotoworld Fantasy Football Draft Guide features more than 450 extensive player profiles, ‘Sleepers and Busts,’ player projections, positional rankings and tier groupings from Rotoworld’s NFL experts, and more. For the first time, Rotoworld’s Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet is downloadable and available for free by registering on Rotoworld.com. The Cheat Sheet, which includes top 200 PPR rankings, PPR positional rankings, dynasty rookies, and more, is also available as part of the 2020 Draft Guide.

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

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 streaming live on Peacock at 7 a.m. ET. Peter King and NBC Football Night in America analyst Rodney Harrison also contribute regularly to PFT Live’s coverage throughout the season.

The two-hour PFT Live is known for delivering inside information and comprehensive analysis from an independent perspective. The show covers all the latest news around the league, breaks down reports and rumors and features interviews with players, coaches and executives. The show will be re-aired on NBCSN from 9-11 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. New episodes of NBC Sports podcasts are available for download each week on all major podcast platforms including: NBCSports.com/podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn and iHeart.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SOCIAL MEDIA

    • SNF ON INSTAGRAM: Through the unique filter of Instagram, fans will get an in-depth look at each week’s Sunday Night Football game with the most engaging photos and videos from across the NFL. SNF also utilizes Instagram Stories for up-to-the-minute coverage of the league.
    • SNF ON TWITTER: The very latest news, video, analysis from the Football Night in America crew and much more lives on @SNFonNBC, the real-time engine for NBC’s year-round NFL coverage.
    • SNF ON FACEBOOK: With more than 3.5 million followers, SNF’s Facebook page is the hub of football conversation. It’s the place to converse and engage with fellow fans on the latest news and action across the NFL.
    • NBC SPORTS ON TIKTOK: New for 2020, NBC Sports’ presence on TikTok puts the spotlight on the offbeat and exuberant side of the National Football League for a young, highly-engaged audience.

 

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 2020 NFL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most in 32 million U.S. households.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD

Seven-time Grammy Award-winner and multi-platinum recording artist Carrie Underwood stars in the show open for NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

Working within social-distancing parameters, the 2020 Sunday Night Football show open was uniquely produced without extras in a studio or stadium, while also celebrating the millions who watch the games.

For the first time, the SNF show open will feature user-generated content from fans showcasing their team spirit. In addition, cameos from some of the NFL’s biggest stars, also recorded remotely, will be highlighted.

NBC’S SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL IS PRIMETIME TELEVISION’S NO. 1 SHOW FOR RECORD NINE CONSECUTIVE YEARS: NBC’s Sunday Night Football finished the 2019-20 TV season as primetime’s #1 TV show in all key metrics for an unprecedented ninth 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 10th consecutive TV season.

2020 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
*Sun. Jan. 3 Week 17 Washington Football Team at Philadelphia Eagles

*Flex Week

 

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.

For Week 17, the Sunday night game will be announced no later than six days prior to January 3. 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.

– SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL –

Filed Under: NBC, NFL, Sunday Night Football, Uncategorized

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