The NFL continues to expand its global reach. Here are highlights of which TV networks around the globe carry NFL games, some live, others in taped format.
NFL TV COVERAGE EXTENDS AROUND THE GLOBE
231 COUNTRIES & TERRITORIES TO BROADCAST NFL CONTENT FOR NEARLY 200,000 HOURS
More and more, fans around the world are tuning in to NFL action.
A total of 125 broadcasters from 231 countries and territories around the globe will carry NFL programming – nearly 200,000 hours worth (excluding NFL Network programs) – during the 2008 season, stretching across 24 time zones and broadcast in 32 languages.
In the UK, NFL fans this season will have even more reason to cheer. After playing a highly successful game in London last year, the NFL is returning to the United Kingdom. The New Orleans Saints will host the San Diego Chargers in London’s Wembley Stadium on Sunday, October 26 (1:00 PM EST, 5:00 PM LOCAL). BBC Sport and Sky Sports will broadcast the action live in the UK.
Sky will televise 130 live NFL games, Channel Five will broadcast Sunday night and Monday night games live, and both Sky and BBC will televise Super Bowl XLIII live from Tampa Bay.
Also taking an international route are the Buffalo Bills, who, beginning this season, will play a regular-season game in Toronto, Canada in each of the next five years. The Bills’ initiative also includes a preseason game in 2008, 2010 and 2012. The first regular-season game will take place on December 7 against the Miami Dolphins at the Rogers Centre (4:05 PM EST). Rogers will televise the action live in Canada on City TV and Rogers Sportsnet.
CTV will continue to cover the Sunday early-afternoon NFL games (1:00 PM ET), the playoffs and Super Bowl. Rogers will televise games in the late afternoon time slot (4:00 PM ET) on City TV and Rogers Sportsnet. TSN will carry Sunday night, Monday night and the eight-NFL Network game package, and RDS will cater to French-speaking fans with extensive NFL coverage each week.
Other NFL news around the globe:
ASIA
China Central Television (CCTV), the national broadcaster of China, will televise weekly regular- season and playoff games, including a live broadcast of Super Bowl XLIII, to more than 160 million households in the world’s most populous country.
For the first time ever, Shanghai Media Group (G-Sports) will produce and televise Sunday night football live in Shanghai to an audience of more than 10 million households. SMG also will air a weekly magazine show that will serve as a lead-in to the live game on Monday mornings in China.
SINA.COM.CN, China’s No. 1 sports portal with over 5.5 million unique visitors a day, is a new and exciting online partner for the NFL in China. SINA Sports will feature a dedicat
ed NFL micro-site to compliment NFLChina.com and will stream “Monday Night Football” live every week, complete with customized pregame and halftime segments that will include educational material and highlights of the previous week’s action.
In the Pan-Asian region, Yes TV will launch the “All Sports Channel” of which the NFL will be the anchor tenant with more than four live games per week as well as other library and custom programming.
Coverage will extend to Pan-Asia’s most influential sports markets including Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore. Beginning in early 2009, the “All Sports Channel” will offer complete NFL coverage in full HD.
NFL Japan and Yahoo! have partnered to re-launch the NFL’s official Japanese website – www.NFLJapan.com. The site will stream over 1,000 game highlights and other customized content.
NHK, NTV and GAORA will continue to provide substantial NFL coverage throughout Japan.
NFL NETWORK DISTRIBUTION
A total of 51 NFL Network partners will broadcast to nearly six million subscribers this season throughout Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Jamaica, Trinidad and Central America.
Cable Onda has signed a one-year agreement with the NFL to distribute the 24-hour, seven-day-a-week channel to Panama for the first time.
NFL SUNDAY TICKET DISTRIBUTION
A total of 24 NFL Sunday Ticket partners will televise NFL games to more than 75,000 subscribers this season throughout Mex
ico, Canada, the Caribbean, Central America and Latin America.
RENEWED PARTNERSHIPS
ESPN and FOX continue to provide global distribution across Latin America, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim.
In Mexico, Televisa and TV Azteca have renewed their partnerships to televise regular-season games, the playoffs and Super Bowl XLIII on terrestrial television.
NASN carries games throughout Europe except in the UK where Sky Sports and the BBC have the rights.
In Asia, ESPN has the rights in many countries except in Australia, China, Japan, India and Hong Kong.
AFN carries games throughout the world to many of our enlisted men and women.
There you have it.
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