Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Entertainment
  3. News

NFL’s ‘Thursday Night Football’ has found a new home on Fox

Stephanie Topacio Long
By

thursday night football nfl fox deal patriots
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Thursday Night Football‘s days on CBS and NBC are over … at least for the next five years. With the networks’ two-year deal expiring, rivals such as ABC and 21st Century Fox began bidding for the opportunity to offer TNF‘s new home. After weighing its options, the NFL announced Wednesday, January 31, that Fox Sports will broadcast the coveted package. The deal is for five years and is worth more than $3.3 billion, according to ESPN.

Although the NFL’s regular season ratings were down 9.7 percent during the 2017 season, games were still watched by an average of 14.9 million viewers, per ESPN. The viewership remains large enough to command huge contracts, and in fact, Fox’s Thursday Night Football deal is reportedly much larger than CBS and NBC’s before it. In 2016 and 2017, the networks each paid $45 million per game, which pales compared to the $60-plus million Fox is reportedly set to pay. That said, Fox’s deal includes expanded digital highlight rights and the company will partner with the NFL in selling the upcoming season’s streaming rights. Twitter and Amazon have each previously streamed Thursday games.

Recommended Videos

As Variety pointed out, 21st Century Fox’s live programming is depleted after the sale to Disney, so Thursday Night Football makes for a key addition. The media company seems happy with the deal it has struck, pricey though it may be.

Related

“NFL football continues to be the most valuable commodity in all of media,” 21st Century Fox President Peter Rice said.

Although Thursday Night Football is valuable, the games remain controversial. Many players have been vocal in criticizing TNF, arguing that it gives them less time to recover and prepare for games compared to their usual Sunday schedule. (Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, for example, has publicly called it a “poopfest.”) NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell somewhat addressed their concerns in a conference call Wednesday, saying that the league will work with the NFL Players Association “to make the shorter week more attractive in a way that is better for our players.”

Fox will continue to broadcast Sunday games on top of Thursday ones. The network is under contract through the 2022 season to the tune of $1.1 billion per year.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Stephanie Topacio Long
Stephanie Topacio Long
Contributor
Stephanie Topacio Long is a writer and editor whose writing interests range from business to books. She also contributes to…
3 Hulu movies you need to stream this weekend (April 26-28)
Luke Kirby and Michelle Williams in Take This Waltz.

As you've probably noticed, this is the last weekend of April. That means Hulu is about to lose some of its best movies before the new titles arrive May 1. And while we've already shared five great movies leaving Hulu at the end of April, those aren't the only terrific titles going out the door.

That's why this week's picks for the three Hulu movies that you need to stream this weekend are off the beaten path from the films we've previously chosen for April. We've picked out a historical drama, a romantic dramedy, and a remix of a classic Charles Dickens story. But since these movies are only around until April 30, you should catch these flicks before they go off to some other streamer.
The Last Duel (2021)

Read more
How to watch Apple TV+ on your Chromecast
The Cast selections on the Chrome browser for playing Apple TV+ on Chromecast.

So you're a fan of excellent Apple TV+ shows such as Severance, Ted Lasso, Palm Royale, and Silo, but on the hardware side of things, you're more of a Chromecast or Google TV kinda guy, and that's fine.

Whether you have a Chromecast dongle device, such as a Chromecast or Chromecast Ultra, or even the newer Chromecast with Google TV, or perhaps you have a smart TV or projector with Google TV or Chromecast built-in, rest assured you can watch all your Apple TV+ movies and shows without having to get an Apple TV set-top box. Here’s what you need and what to do!

Read more
Like Amazon Prime Video’s Fallout show? Then watch three shows and movies starring Ella Purnell
Lucy enters a house in Fallout.

Fallout has proven to be one of the bigger hits in Amazon Prime Video's existence, and it's also one of the most anticipated shows the streaming service has to offer this year. The series, which is loosely adapted from the popular video game franchise, stars Ella Purnell as a newly invented character who has to set off on a quest that will take her to the surface of a postapocalyptic version of Earth.

If you watched Fallout and found yourself intrigued by Purnell, in particular, then you're in luck. She's still a relatively new face in Hollywood, but she's starred in a number of projects in recent years, many of which have required her to hide her British accent. These are three you should definitely check out if you're a big Purnell fan.
Yellowjackets (2021-)
Yellowjackets (2021) Official Trailer #2 | SHOWTIME

Read more