Last week ESPN reported on some of the details of the proposed CBA between the owners and players and one of the nuggets was that the league would create a full season schedule of Thursday night games in order to increase revenue.
Thursday Night Football Rights Being Shopped To TV Networks
The question was whether the NFL Network would keep their eight-game, end-of-season package on Thursday night or if that would go by the way side. According to Sports Business Journal, it appears NFLN will keep their eight-game package and the league will sell the rights to the early eight-game Thursday night schedule.
The league is shopping the early-season package to interested networks. Sources said the league currently has the rights to take enough games from CBS and Fox's Sunday afternoon schedules to fill the new eight-game package and does not have to wait for those contracts to expire after the 2013 season.
Per SBJ, the league is negotiating with TV networks on the eight-game Thursday night schedule and the package could be worth as much as $700 million.
The leading bidders, according to SBJ, are Turner and Comcast. Turner (TNT) had the NFL Sunday night package from 1990-97 and wants back in while Comcast could consider putting games on Versus.
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