The NFL will split the broadcast rights for its Thursday Night Football games between NBC and CBS Corp., a move that reportedly earns the league higher fees and underlines the increasing cost of content for TV networks.
The NFL also said that it was in “active discussions” with potential partners for streaming rights for the games, but it did not name any specific company.
The NFL will get about $450 million in total rights fees from CBS and NBC for broadcasting 10 games, higher than the $300 million CBS paid for eight games this season, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Based on the report, the new rights fees works out to $45 million per game compared with $37.50 million earlier.
The rise in content costs comes at a time when TV networks are struggling with falling advertising sales.
NFL, CBS and Comcast Corp.’s NBC did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Journal report.
The NFL said NBC and CBS would broadcast five games each in 2016 and 2017 and “contribute to the production of Thursday Night Football exclusively on NFL Network.”
Reuters reported last month that the league planned to live-stream all three games scheduled to be played in London next season, with Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc. as the tech companies in the running for streaming rights.
In October, Yahoo became the NFL’s first over-the-top streaming partner, when the Internet company broadcast a game between the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars. That game got 33.6 million views.
Bryant wants Hardy back with Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys star wide receiver Dez Bryant “would love to see Greg Hardy back” with the team next season.
The Cowboys have to decide if they want to re-sign Hardy only a year after the defensive end was released by the Carolina Panthers due to his troubles with the law off the field.
“You see guys perform at a high level around him, and that’s what he brings to the defense,” Bryant told the Sporting News. “I know I would love to see Greg back with us. He’s a great teammate. I love him. I hope we can get him back. Greg Hardy loves the game. Anybody who loves the game, I love him.”
The Cowboys’ front office reportedly has been wavering in its support of the controversial pass rusher.
The Cowboys signed Hardy to a one-year, $11.3 million deal in 2015. He recorded six sacks, 35 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble in 12 games after serving a four-game suspension by the NFL.
Cowboys fans, former greats of the team and state and local politicians spoke out against Hardy after he signed with Dallas because of a high-profile domestic violence incident in North Carolina. Hardy spent most of the 2014 season on the commissioner’s exempt list before charges were formally dropped.
Photos showing bruises and abrasions on the body of Hardy’s former girlfriend were published by Deadspin last year. The Cowboys claim they did not see the pictures before signing Hardy even though the NFL acknowledged seeing the graphic evidence during its own investigation.
NFLPA president plans to donate brain for research
NFL Players Association president Eric Winston has decided to donate his own brain for NFL concussion research after he dies.
The 32-year-old Winston has played 10 NFL seasons with four NFL teams and is currently a member of the Cincinnati Bengals.
“It’s an ‘if I don’t need it and can do some good for somebody else, then I’m all for it’ kind of thing,” Winston recently told reporters. “I wouldn’t say that I was thinking about it for a long time. I thought about it and just thought, ‘This could be a good idea. This is something that could help.’”
Concussion research efforts have increased in recent years as doctors try to understand CTE, which stands for chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
The effects of repeated blows to the head are believed to be the major cause. Among the notable football players diagnosed posthumously with CTE is Hall of Famer Junior Seau, who shot himself to death in 2012.
Winston emphasized he isn’t experiencing symptoms. He just feels donating his brain for study is the right thing to do in regards of future players.
“There’s a host of reasons that it’s good for a lot of guys, even if you’re not showing symptoms, to donate your brain because there’s guys who think they’re healthy or are healthy, and obviously there’s guys that aren’t and we’ve been getting a lot of those,” Winston said. “Knowing what we all know now, you can’t help but think, ‘Gosh, I wonder if that’s going to be me in 20 years or 30 years.’”
Broncos’ bus involved in minor accident
A Denver Broncos’ team bus was involved in a minor traffic accident on Monday.
The accident occurred at 1:47 p.m. PST on Highway 101 in Mountain View as the team was returning to its hotel in Santa Clara. The crash also involved a California Highway Patrol motorcycle officer, according to reports.
A Broncos’ spokesman released a statement saying nobody was injured. Further details weren’t immediately available.
Denver is practicing at nearby Stanford for its Super Bowl 50 contest against the Carolina Panthers. The team had just concluded its workout before the crash.