NFL switches channels in the UK

[Brad Beam]

Two weeks before the start of the season, the NFL is leaving the Beeb for ITV.

https://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/itv-and-nfl-announce-three-year-partnership

 

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[Adam Bowie]

I think I've suggested before that there's no real money changing hands for these UK NFL deals. I don't think the BBC paid for anything beyond the UK production costs of their NFL coverage, and now I suspect the same is true for ITV. I wouldn't even be surprised if Osi Umenyiora and Jason Bell's salaries are being covered by the NFL's UK office. They're both moving across to ITV which is a good thing, because they're both very good. But the NFL seeks out these deals with the BBC and now ITV to keep the sport on free-to-air TV and not entirely behind the paywall of Sky Sports.

But ITV really only has a weekly highlights show - one that airs on a Friday night at 11.30pm. It's not even as though ITV has a compelling show that airs after the News at Ten, so it's unclear to me why it's being pushed so late. My only thought is that the Graham Norton Show which airs around 10.30pm on BBC1 on Fridays has lots of Hollywood stars, and some of those viewers might then turn over at 11.30pm when that's finished. I don't find that suggesting convincing though. (The BBC used to air two weekly shows, with their big one on Saturday night after Match of the Day had shown Premier League highlights. ITV can't do that because they have Championship Football highlights this season - divisions below the Premier League - which they air on ITV4 at 9pm and then repeat on the main ITV channel at about 11.30pm timed to start just after the BBC's highlights have finished.)

ITV will also get live coverage of a couple of the London NFL games and will show the Superbowl alongside Sky. But Sky still has the bulk of NFL rights including all the Sunday games, a channel showing Redzone, lots of other NFL Network programming and so on.

Adam

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