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NBC To Join Amazon In Producing Thursday Night Football

The two sides are working together to produce “Thursday Night Football” starting in 2022.

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Courtesy: NFL Network

Amazon is taking over prime real estate on Thursday night’s next NFL season, but it’s been a mystery how they will produce Thursday Night FootballAccording to the New York Post‘s Andrew Marchand, the company is working on a deal with NBC to join forces and produce its Thursday Night Football package.

Sources told Marchand that the Amazon-NBC contract is likely to be a three-year deal, with Amazon having the option to extend it to five. In doing so, NBC would lend the services of famed Sunday Night Football producer Fred Gaudelli.

With Gaudelli, Amazon is hoping that entices Al Michaels to be their number one play-by-play man. Michaels is in the final year of his NBC deal, but it’s not out of the question that he could work for both companies. 

Marchand previously reported the legendary broadcaster is Amazon’s top choice to lead their exclusive coverage of Thursday NFL action. CBS’s Ian Eagle and Fox’s Joe Buck have also emerged as top targets if the streaming giant can’t land Michaels. The two sides have discussed sharing Michaels, with the broadcaster calling 15 games for Amazon and then shifting over to NBC for the Wild Card Round.

The dominoes could continue falling if Amazon can bring in Michaels. The company has been quiet on the color commentator front, but Marchand noted they could take a run at Peyton Manning. 

Amazon plans to have Michaels and Manning in the booth with Maria Taylor on the sidelines, pending her current contract negotiations with ESPN. 

Taylor’s ESPN deal expires on July 20, and NBC is currently trying to woo her away quickly in time for Tokyo Olympics coverage on July 23. The production deal between NBC and Amazon means fans could be in store for a weekly double-dip of the top football talents at NBC. A lot of things hang in the balance as Amazon prepares to dive into NFL coverage.

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Final ‘Good Morning Football’ Episode from New York Studio Airs Before Hiatus, Move to LA

After today, ‘Good Morning Football’ will take a brief hiatus, then move to LA. But outside of host Jamie Erdahl, who else will join the show on the West Coast?

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Today marks the last Good Morning Football episode to air from its New York studios on NFL Network. After today, the show will take a brief hiatus, then move across the country to Los Angeles. But which of the shows beloved cast members will move along with it?

We already know host Jamie Erdahl will be there once she gives birth to her child. The newest GMFB show member gave an emotional send-off to the show’s New York studios before announcing she was headed for maternity leave and would see everyone in LA.

Host Kyle Brandt delivered this message late last night, saying that viewers should tune in to he and his colleagues and that “he has a lot to say.”

Earlier this week, however, host Peter Schrager delivered his own goodbye message — one that may sound like a man who’s not ready to move his family across the country at a moment’s notice:

However, no hosts outside of Erdahl have given confirmation that they’re either staying or going.

The NFL’s move to take the show from New York to Los Angeles has been widely criticized by fans and media members alike. Bill Simmons wondered if the move wouldn’t spell just the end of GMFB but the NFL Network as a whole. It has some wondering if this is the end of football’s best show.

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ESPN Coverage of Men’s NIT Tournament Quarterfinals Up 33% vs. 2023

Viewership of the Men’s NIT Quarterfinals on ESPN were up 33 percent compared to last year and featured two games that averaged over one million viewers.

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Even the NIT is riding the recent hot streak of live sports viewership numbers. According to data provided by ESPN, the 2024 NIT Quarterfinals are up 33 percent compared to last year’s tournament. Perhaps more surprisingly, two NIT quarterfinal games topped one million viewers.

The network’s Georgia/Ohio State matchup averaged 1.03 million viewers, while the Cincinnati/Indiana State contest averaged 1.02 million viewers. These two games were the most-watched NIT games since 2017 — including title games. Both Georgia and Ohio State have rabid fanbases, while many thought Indiana State was unjustly left out of the March Madness tournament, which could be a reason why viewers tuned in.

Much of the focus this season has been on the women’s game, thanks to Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks, led by Dawn Staley. ESPN just had its most-watched women’s college basketball season since 2008-09 because of the increased interest in the women’s game. The men’s game, however, hasn’t been heralded as much this season for whatever reason, mostly because numbers seem to be holding steady compared to previous years. However, if the NIT is posting viewership wins, that should bode well for the NCAA Tournament’s incoming viewership totals.

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Report: NFL to Put Christmas Day Doubleheader Up For Bids

Bidding is expected to start at $50 million among the current NFL media partners but some think the games could sell for $75 million to $100 million apiece.

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The NFL will reportedly put its Christmas Day games up for auction, allowing its current media partners to bid for the games. Now, it’s up to CBS, FOX, ESPN, NBC, and Prime Video to pay up for rights to one of these two marquee games.

According to Front Office Sports Michael McCarthy, preference will be given to linear networks, so Prime Video and Peacock may sit this one out. Bidding is expected to start at $50 million but McCarthy and his sources expect that number to rise. John Kosner, the former ESPN executive, thinks the new Christmas Day games could sell for $75 million to $100 million apiece.

The NFL announced a Wednesday Christmas Day doubleheader during its annual league meetings. The league originally said it wouldn’t force games on Christmas Day if the holiday fell on an odd day of the week, though as the NFL continues to put games on days outside of Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, and sometimes Saturdays, we’re running out of days that don’t feature NFL football.

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