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Breaking news - Pats vs Giants game to be on CBS & NBC
Michigan
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in Sports Talk
The Patriots-Giants game, which was to be broadcast Saturday night to less than half the country by the NFL Network, will be available to the entire nation under an agreement reached Wednesday by NBC and CBS to simulcast it.
The 15-0 Patriots are attempting to become the first National Football League team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins to go undefeated throughout the entire regular season. Miami went on to win the Super Bowl and finish 17-0 that season.
NBC and CBS will show the NFL Network’s production of the game, with the announcers Bryant Gumbel and Cris Collinsworth, and will not pay an extra rights fee. They will each get to sell 18 30-second commercial units.
Dick Ebersol, the chairman of NBC Universal Sports, said yesterday by telephone that in a conversation in October with Steve Bornstein, the chief executive of the NFL Network, that he would be amenable to a simulcast, and would share it with another broadcast network, if the Patriots’ momentum toward an undefeated season continued. Then, on Monday morning, Bornstein called to ask him if his idea was still viable for NBC.
“As early as last week, I didn’t think it would happen, but then Steve called and I ran it past Jeff, and he said, ‘yes,’ ” said Ebersol, referring to Jeff Zucker, the president of NBC Universal. He added, “I’m intrigued by the historic nature of two over-the-air networks carrying the game. It’ll be fun and will give the NFL Network a chance to exhibit their wares.”
Joe Browne, a spokesman for the league, said: “The two networks independently expressed an interest in carrying the game. They saw the problems we were having with a few of the big cable companies, and so we went back to them earlier this week, and said, ‘What if you both simulcast the NFL Network?’ ”
The NFL Network has found itself with fewer subscribers than it wanted because major cable operators like Time Warner, Cablevision and Charter do not carry it, and Comcast, makes it available only on its digitial sports tier. Comcast is involved in two lawsuits against the league; a judge’s ruling earlier this year allowed it to shift the NFL Network from a broadly-available digital tier to the sports tier that requires an extra fee.
Until Wednesday’s deal, the Patriots-Giants game would have been available to the NFL Network’s 43 million satellite and cable subscribers. Another 10.8 million TV households in the New York-New Jersey and Boston-Manchester, N.H., markets were to get it free on local broadcast stations because they live within the teams’ designated home markets.
The simulcast marks the first time since Super Bowl I in 1967 when NBC and CBS, or any two networks, have simultaneously carried the same N.F.L. game. But in that previous game, separate NBC and CBS crews produced and announced it.
The league’s decision to simulcast the game came amid mounting Congressional pressure to make the potentially historic game more broadly available.
The 15-0 Patriots are attempting to become the first National Football League team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins to go undefeated throughout the entire regular season. Miami went on to win the Super Bowl and finish 17-0 that season.
NBC and CBS will show the NFL Network’s production of the game, with the announcers Bryant Gumbel and Cris Collinsworth, and will not pay an extra rights fee. They will each get to sell 18 30-second commercial units.
Dick Ebersol, the chairman of NBC Universal Sports, said yesterday by telephone that in a conversation in October with Steve Bornstein, the chief executive of the NFL Network, that he would be amenable to a simulcast, and would share it with another broadcast network, if the Patriots’ momentum toward an undefeated season continued. Then, on Monday morning, Bornstein called to ask him if his idea was still viable for NBC.
“As early as last week, I didn’t think it would happen, but then Steve called and I ran it past Jeff, and he said, ‘yes,’ ” said Ebersol, referring to Jeff Zucker, the president of NBC Universal. He added, “I’m intrigued by the historic nature of two over-the-air networks carrying the game. It’ll be fun and will give the NFL Network a chance to exhibit their wares.”
Joe Browne, a spokesman for the league, said: “The two networks independently expressed an interest in carrying the game. They saw the problems we were having with a few of the big cable companies, and so we went back to them earlier this week, and said, ‘What if you both simulcast the NFL Network?’ ”
The NFL Network has found itself with fewer subscribers than it wanted because major cable operators like Time Warner, Cablevision and Charter do not carry it, and Comcast, makes it available only on its digitial sports tier. Comcast is involved in two lawsuits against the league; a judge’s ruling earlier this year allowed it to shift the NFL Network from a broadly-available digital tier to the sports tier that requires an extra fee.
Until Wednesday’s deal, the Patriots-Giants game would have been available to the NFL Network’s 43 million satellite and cable subscribers. Another 10.8 million TV households in the New York-New Jersey and Boston-Manchester, N.H., markets were to get it free on local broadcast stations because they live within the teams’ designated home markets.
The simulcast marks the first time since Super Bowl I in 1967 when NBC and CBS, or any two networks, have simultaneously carried the same N.F.L. game. But in that previous game, separate NBC and CBS crews produced and announced it.
The league’s decision to simulcast the game came amid mounting Congressional pressure to make the potentially historic game more broadly available.
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Comments
<< <i>It's going to be a boring game if the Giants rest their regulars. If they don't then they have a real shot. I don't expect the Patriots to rest anyone. >>
First off- Awesome news that they will air this game on National TV!
You say you dont expect the Pats to rest anyone yet the Giants will have a Real shot if they play their regulars? I think the Giants are the worst team to make the playoffs- save the Yucs.
because he has a big screen, HD, and pizza.
I'm NOT looking forward to Bryant Gumball. I hated him on the Today Show, can't figure out how the guy ever got a job doing Tv
in the first place. And now the NFL network has him broadcasting games. What are they thinking?
I also hope that for my wife's and for perkdog's sake, the Patriots also remember to get that big silver trophy in the end. After all, no one's going to care about an undefeated season if they don't win the Super Bowl. Think about it, the Patriots are trying to become the greatest team of all time by going undefeated, but how can they make that case if they're not even the best team for that season (if they don't win the big one)? I guess I shouldn't worry too much, seeing as how they already pwned their probable AFC Championship Game (Colts) and Super Bowl (Dallas) opponents in the regular season; I believe in both cases on the road.
PS: If I hear one more commentator or ESPN guy refer to the Dolphins as "the Fish" I'm going to scream... THEY ARE NOT FISH!! THEY ARE MAMMALS!!!!
Dimes: 54S, 53P, 50P, 49S, 45D+S, 44S, 43D, 41S, 40D+S, 39D+S, 38D+S, 37D+S, 36S, 35D+S, all 16-34's
Quarters: 52S, 47S, 46S, 40S, 39S, 38S, 37D+S, 36D+S, 35D, 34D, 32D+S
74 Topps: 37,38,46,47,48,138,151,193,210,214,223,241,256,264,268,277,289,316,435,552,570,577,592,602,610,654,655
1997 Finest silver: 115, 135, 139, 145, 310
1995 Ultra Gold Medallion Sets: Golden Prospects, HR Kings, On-Base Leaders, Power Plus, RBI Kings, Rising Stars
<< <i>
<< <i>It's going to be a boring game if the Giants rest their regulars. If they don't then they have a real shot. I don't expect the Patriots to rest anyone. >>
First off- Awesome news that they will air this game on National TV!
You say you dont expect the Pats to rest anyone yet the Giants will have a Real shot if they play their regulars? I think the Giants are the worst team to make the playoffs- save the Yucs. >>
I don't think the Pats will rest anyone of importance. Do you think that they'll sit Brady? Of course not. The Giants on the other hand have had injuries hurt them the past couple of years in the playoffs so I think some will sit. They may or may not be the worst of the playoff teams, but they lead the NFL in sacks. Still want to start Brady?
NBC and CBS will just get the NFL Network feed instead of using thier own broadcast teams.
Reminds me of the old TV series "Flipper", the little kid named Bud was always correcting misinformed people when they would say
things like "its that fish again" and Bud would say "its not a fish, its a dolphin!!!".
<< <i>Now the bad news -- you still have to suffer with Bryant Gumbel >>
This guy is the worst..... It almost makes the game un-watchable....
<< <i>
<< <i>Now the bad news -- you still have to suffer with Bryant Gumbel >>
This guy is the worst..... It almost makes the game un-watchable....
Word I have heard is that the NFL is not happy with him either, if the NFL network is still around next season don't be
surprised if Gumbel is gone.
<< <i>Now the bad news -- you still have to suffer with Bryant Gumbel.
NBC and CBS will just get the NFL Network feed instead of using thier own broadcast teams. >>
I am going to turn the sound off and find it on the radio somewhere.
They quickly acquiesed
<< <i>
I am going to turn the sound off and find it on the radio somewhere. >>
I would do that to, but isn't radio required to have an 8 second delay in case someone says something uncouth? That would be pretty annoying to see the play and then hear how it ended up seconds later. I guess it would boil down to the lesser of two evils: Gumbel or the delay.
<< <i>I understand A U.S. senator called the NFL & told them the Game better be on Regular TV or risk losing their precious antitrust protection
They quickly acquiesed >>
So then it should be easy to get the NFL network all the time!!!!! GRRRRRRR