Thursday Night Football (TNF) refers to National Football League (NFL) games broadcast primarily on Thursday nights, with most games starting at 8:15 PM Eastern Time. It serves as a branding for these specific NFL broadcasts.
The Washington Redskins existed from 1937-2019, and then became the Washington Football Team from 2020-2021.
The telecast between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans on November 16, 2017 was the first NFL broadcast to intentionally use the Skycam as its primary camera angle, as opposed to the usual sideline camera that has been used since telecasts of NFL games began in 1939.
In 1961, the Sports Broadcasting Act was written, including language prohibiting NFL games on Friday nights and Saturdays between the second week of September and the second week of December, to protect high school and college football.
The San Diego Chargers existed from 1961-2016.
The 1972 Miami Dolphins were the first team since to end a regular season undefeated, before the New England Patriots tried to break their record.
From 1978 to 1986, ABC televised occasional Thursday night games as part of its Monday Night Football package.
From 1978 to 1986, ABC televised occasional Thursday night games as part of its Monday Night Football package.
The Oakland Raiders existed from 1995-2019.
In 2005, Comcast-owned OLN offered $450 million for an eight-year contract to carry NFL prime time games and add NFL Network to its digital cable lineup, but NFL Network decided to air the games itself.
The NFL considered CBS's bid to be the most attractive, owing to CBS's overall ratings stature (CBS had been the highest-rated broadcast network in the United States since the 2005-06 television season)
The inaugural game on CBS brought the network its highest prime time ratings on a Thursday night since May 2006.
On November 23, 2006, Thursday Night Football debuted as part of NFL Network's Run to the Playoffs package, consisting of Thursday and Saturday night games.
In January 2014, it was mentioned that it would have brought the NFL back to ABC for the first time since Super Bowl XL and the move of Monday Night Football to ESPN in 2006.
Bryant Gumbel departed from the NFL Network after the 2007 season.
Disputes between television service providers and the NFL Network magnified throughout the 2007 season, impacting viewership of high-profile matchups such as Cowboys-Packers and Patriots-Giants.
In 2007, Cris Collinsworth replaced Dick Vermeil as the main color commentator alongside Bryant Gumbel for all Thursday Night Football games on NFL Network.
In 2007, each of the game broadcasts were titled either Thursday Night Football or Saturday Night Football, depending on the night on which it aired. This format carried over from the previous season.
In 2007, the relative unavailability of NFL Network led to controversy, with the league using the games as leverage to encourage television providers to carry NFL Network on basic service tiers. A game between the New England Patriots and New York Giants was simulcast nationally on CBS and NBC, in addition to NFL Network.
At the end of the 2008 season, Cris Collinsworth left Thursday Night Football to replace John Madden as the lead analyst on NBC Sunday Night Football.
In 2008, NFL Network eliminated all but one of the Saturday night games and started their Thursday night package three weeks earlier to accommodate the schedule and the league's antitrust exemption.
In 2009, Matt Millen returned to broadcasting and joined the NFL Network team.
In the wake of the Ray Rice controversy, changes were made to pre-game coverage on the first game, including the removal of an introductory segment featuring Rihanna performing her song "Run This Town". Following complaints by Rihanna on Twitter regarding the removal, the song was pulled entirely from future broadcasts in 2009.
In 2010, Joe Theismann, formerly an analyst with ESPN, joined the NFL Network broadcast team.
From 2006 until 2011, the Thanksgiving primetime game was part of the Thursday Night Football package.
In 2011, Brad Nessler, formerly of ESPN, became the play-by-play announcer, and Mike Mayock, NFL Network draft analyst, became the color commentator for Thursday Night Football.
As part of new media contracts taking effect in the 2012 season, the Thanksgiving primetime game was moved from NFL Network to NBC's Sunday Night Football package.
During Super Bowl week in 2012, it was announced that the Thursday Night Football package would expand from eight to 13 games and air on NFL Network.
For the 2012 season, a Spanish-language broadcast was added as a second audio program.
Since 2012, Thursday Night Football had gone on hiatus during Thanksgiving week, as the Thanksgiving primetime game had been reassigned to the Sunday Night Football package. On October 18, 2022, the NFL announced that Thursday Night Football would add a Friday afternoon game on the Friday after Thanksgiving beginning in 2023.
The move of selected games to CBS brought improved ratings: the inaugural game was the highest-rated program of the night, with an audience share of 13.7 and an average of 20.7 million viewers, representing a 108% increase in ratings over the first NFL Network game in 2013.
In January 2014, it was reported that the NFL was planning to sub-license a package of up to eight Thursday Night Football games to another broadcaster for the 2014 season, with ESPN considering placing the games on ABC.
In April 2014, CBS and the NFL unveiled the games scheduled for Thursday Night Football; CBS's slate of games featured a number of major divisional rivalries, including New York Giants–Washington, Green Bay–Minnesota.
On September 11, 2014, the opening game of Thursday Night Football featured the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens.
On October 6, 2014, Arian Foster of the Houston Texans criticized the NFL for prioritizing player safety while scheduling Thursday night games, arguing that the short rest period between games is equally dangerous as concussions.
In 2014, average viewership of the games increased from around 7 million to around 11.8 million.
In 2014, the NFL shifted the Thursday Night Football package to a new model, with CBS becoming the first rightsholder, airing nine games on broadcast television and producing the remainder for NFL Network. The package was extended to Week 16 and included a new Saturday doubleheader.
On January 29, 2015, the NFL released its health and safety report, indicating that an average of 4.8 injuries occurred during Thursday games, compared to 6.9 injuries per game on Sundays and Mondays.
In November 2015, The Hollywood Reporter stated that the NFL was planning a long-term contract for Thursday Night Football (TNF) due to its success under CBS. CBS, Fox, NBC, and Turner Sports were all interested. The New York Post mentioned the deal would also include selling a stake in the NFL Network.
On December 16, 2015, reports indicated the NFL was offering the TNF package as a one-year deal with a second-year option, similar to the CBS arrangement. The NFL also wanted bidders to detail plans for expanding NFL Network. The league was considering selling non-exclusive digital rights to simulcast games to partners like Amazon.com, Apple Inc., Google, or Yahoo! Yahoo! had streamed an International Series game as a trial in 2015.
In January 2016, it was reported that the NFL was considering dividing the TNF package across multiple broadcasters, along with possibly expanding the package to 17 games. ESPN and Turner Sports reportedly weren't interested due to the package's short-term nature, while Fox was trying to outbid CBS.
On February 1, 2016, the NFL announced that TNF would be shared between CBS, NBC, and NFL Network for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. CBS and NBC would each air five games. All games would be simulcast by NFL Network. Roger Goodell mentioned the league was adding NBC to the mix and expanding with a digital partner.
On April 5, 2016, it was revealed that Twitter acquired non-exclusive worldwide digital streaming rights to the ten broadcast television TNF games. The collaboration included streaming content on Twitter's Periscope service, such as behind-the-scenes access. This gave NBC the distinction of holding two primetime NFL packages.
On November 3, 2016, the first game produced by NBC Sports was broadcast exclusively on NFL Network. The first game simulcast nationally on NBC aired on November 17. Pentatonix recorded a reworked version of their song "Sing" ("Weekend Go") as the opening theme song for NBC's TNF telecasts. NBC also commissioned "Can't Hold Us Down" by Jimmy Greco.
On November 28, 2016, a report circulated that the league was considering ending the franchise. The NFL, however, denied this rumor.
On December 1, 2016, the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings was the highest rated Thursday Night Football of the season.
On December 22, 2016, Mike Tirico called a TNF game alongside Cris Collinsworth, as part of NBC's broadcast coverage.
During the 2016 season, current and former players including Richard Sherman, J. J. Watt, and Charles Woodson expressed their dislikes for Thursday Night Football, with Richard Sherman calling it a "poopfest".
For the four seasons from 2012 to 2016, all 32 teams played a Thursday game following a Sunday game.
In 2016, Rogers Media, which owns the Canadian television rights to TNF, successfully forced Twitter to block game streams in Canada, overriding the league's desire for a global free stream. PlayStation Vue and Sling TV also had to black out the simulcast of the games on NFL Network.
In 2016, games not played on Thursday were branded as "special editions" of Thursday Night Football.
In 2016, the NFL began sub-licensing digital streaming rights for the broadcast television portion of Thursday Night Football to third parties, starting with Twitter.
On April 4, 2017, Amazon.com acquired non-exclusive streaming rights to the ten broadcast television games for the 2017 season via Amazon Prime Video for $50 million. Streams were exclusive to Prime subscribers. Amazon planned special features, including alternate feeds with Spanish, Portuguese, and a secondary English broadcast featuring soccer commentators Ross Dyer and Tommy Smyth. A pre-show hosted by Tiki Barber and Curtis Stone featured presentations of NFL merchandise.
On November 9, 2017, Richard Sherman's season ended during a Thursday night game against the Arizona Cardinals when he ruptured his Achilles tendon.
On November 16, 2017, the telecast between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans was the first NFL broadcast to intentionally use the Skycam as its primary camera angle. NBC Sports had previously switched to a skycam-only presentation for portions of two Sunday night games because of fog and smoke.
In 2017, Amazon acquired digital streaming rights for Thursday Night Football, initially on Prime Video and later on Twitch.
In 2017, NBC retained the reworked version of Pentatonix's song "Sing" ("Weekend Go") and Jimmy Greco's "Can't Hold Us Down" as the opening theme music for its TNF telecasts.
In contrast to 2018 and 2019 where Amazon also carries game coverage for free on its live streaming platform Twitch, in 2017 games required an Amazon Prime subscription.
Starting in 2017, select games from the NFL International Series have been branded as NFL Network Specials and aired as part of the Thursday Night Football package.
In early January 2018, Bloomberg reported that ABC/ESPN and Fox Sports had bid for the next TNF package. Fox and Fox Sports 1 were named as potential outlets. CBS and NBC were considering renewing contracts but wanted lower rights fees due to decreasing viewership. The NFL would allow digital companies to bid for exclusive TNF rights without a TV partner.
On January 30, 2018, reports indicated Fox had won the TNF package. The NFL officially announced that Fox acquired the broadcast television rights to TNF under a five-year deal lasting from 2018 through 2022. Fox would air eleven games per season in simulcast with NFL Network. The Fox deal was terminated a season early in 2021.
On September 20, 2018, the game between the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns set a record as the highest-rated NFL Network-exclusive broadcast in Thursday Night Football history, achieving a 5.2 household rating and over 8 million viewers. The game also marked the debut of Cleveland's first overall pick Baker Mayfield, and ended the team's nearly two-year losing streak.
On October 14, 2018, the NFL announced that the NFL GameDay Morning studio team of Rich Eisen, Steve Mariucci, Kurt Warner, and Michael Irvin would call the Eagles-Jaguars London Game on October 28.
For 2018, NFL Network borrowed Mike Tirico from former TNF holder NBC to serve as play-by-play for the network's Saturday games and reunited him with Warner on color commentary.
In 2018, Amazon renewed its digital rights for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Game coverage was available for free on Twitch. Amazon Prime streams offered commentary featuring Hannah Storm and Andrea Kremer, the first all-female commentary team in NFL history. Twitch streams offered chat rooms, interactive extensions, and co-streams. Amazon Fire devices offered X-Ray feature integration.
In 2018, Fox NFL Thursday was hosted by Michael Strahan, with analysts Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, and insider Jay Glazer. The show became the main pregame show for TNF.
In 2018, Fox announced that its top team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman would call the Thursday Night Football games, joined by Erin Andrews. The move came after speculation that Peyton Manning would be hired.
In 2018, the rights for Thursday Night Football shifted to Fox, lasting through the 2022 season.
Prior to 2018, the kick-off time for Thursday Night Football games was 8:25 PM Eastern Time.
For 2019, Fox announced that it would produce all of its games in 1080p upscaled to 4K, with hybrid log–gamma (HLG) high-dynamic-range color, beginning with its season premiere on September 26, 2019. The telecasts were distributed via the Fox Sports app, Prime Video, and to participating television providers.
Due to a carriage dispute between Dish Network and Fox, Fox pushed NFL Network to black out its simulcast of the October 3, 2019 game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks for Dish Network subscribers. NFL Network agreed to forego the simulcast entirely, making the game exclusive to Fox.
On October 6, 2019, Fox and Dish agreed to a multi-year carriage agreement, resolving the dispute that led to the blackout of the NFL Network simulcast on October 3, 2019.
In 2019, Amazon continued its digital rights for TNF, offering game coverage for free on Twitch. The Amazon Prime streams continued to offer commentary featuring Hannah Storm and Andrea Kremer, while the Twitch streams continued to offer chat rooms, interactive extensions, and co-streams. Amazon Fire devices continued to offer X-Ray feature integration.
In 2019, Michael Strahan remained the host of Fox NFL Thursday, with Terry Bradshaw and Howie Long rotating as analysts, alongside Tony Gonzalez, and Peter Schrager as insider. The show was broadcast from New York City due to Strahan's commitments to Good Morning America.
In 2019, Mike Tirico was reunited with Kurt Warner for color commentary for the NFL Network's Saturday games.
In 2019, NFL Network kept the four-man broadcast booth for the London Games.
On April 29, 2020, Amazon renewed its digital rights through the 2022 season, maintaining TNF simulcasts and digital content, and adding exclusive international rights to one late-season game per-season. Amazon replaced the British feed with a "Scout's Feed" and "NFL Next Live" on Twitch.
In 2020, all 32 teams played a Thursday game following a Sunday game.
In March 2021, Amazon acquired exclusive rights to TNF from 2023 through 2033. NFL Network, Fox, and Amazon opted out of the final year of the current agreement, so Amazon's rights would begin in the 2022 NFL season instead. Amazon was close to partnering with NBC Sports to produce their broadcasts.
Fox's TNF broadcast rights deal was terminated a season early in 2021.
In 2021 NFL London Game was produced by CBS with Greg Gumbel and Adam Archuleta, Joe Davis and Kurt Warner paired up again Raiders vs. Browns in week 15 and Colts vs. Cardinals in week 16, Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen worked Colts vs. Patriots in week 15 and the TNF game between the 49ers and Titans in week 16.
In 2021, all 32 teams played a Thursday game following a Sunday game.
In 2021, it was announced that Amazon had acquired the exclusive rights to Thursday Night Football beginning in the 2023 season, marking the first time the NFL sold a main television package to a digital media company.
On September 15, 2022, Nielsen reported an average of 13 million viewers across all measured platforms, which were in line with the average numbers that were garnered by Fox's Thursday Night Football broadcasts in the 2021 season, and an increase of five million over that year's season opener (which was an NFL Network-exclusive game).
Prior to the 2021 season, Tony Gonzalez left Fox to pursue other film and television projects.
In July 2022, Amazon added Kaylee Hartung, formerly of ESPN and ABC News, as its sideline reporter for Thursday Night Football.
On August 25, 2022, Amazon carried a preseason game featuring the San Francisco 49ers at the Houston Texans.
On September 15, 2022, Amazon's first regular season game featured the Los Angeles Chargers at the Kansas City Chiefs. Nielsen reported an average of 13 million viewers across all measured platforms.
During the September 29, 2022 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained head and neck injuries after being sacked, which led to him being stretchered off the field. This incident, occurring just four days after a previous head injury scare, prompted scrutiny of the NFL's concussion protocol and the decision to allow Tagovailoa to play. The NFLPA launched an investigation into the possible violation of concussion protocol.
On October 6, 2022, the Thursday Night Football game between the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos was met with widespread criticism due to the poor quality of play. The game featured 12 punts, four interceptions, and no touchdowns, leading to negative reactions from NFL fans, commentators, and former players. Al Michaels, the TNF play-by-play announcer, even referenced this game as an example of a "dreadful" contest.
On October 18, 2022, the NFL announced that Thursday Night Football would add a Friday afternoon game on the Friday after Thanksgiving beginning in 2023; Thursday Night Football had taken Thanksgiving week off since. The game is expected to leverage a captive audience of holiday shoppers for "Black Friday" as a potential audience, including the potential for advertising retail products and "Cyber Monday" promotions.
Fox's five-year deal to broadcast TNF, which began in 2018, was set to conclude in 2022, under a five-year deal lasting from 2018 through 2022. However, the deal was terminated a season early in 2021.
In 2022, Fox concluded its broadcast rights for Thursday Night Football.
In 2022, NFL Network and Fox ceded the final season of the existing contract to Amazon, resulting in its coverage launching.
In 2022, the kick-off time for Thursday Night Football games was changed from 8:20 PM to 8:15 PM Eastern Time.
In March 2021, Amazon acquired exclusive rights to TNF from 2023 through 2033. NFL Network, Fox, and Amazon opted out of the final year of the current agreement, so Amazon's rights would begin in the 2022 NFL season instead. Amazon was close to partnering with NBC Sports to produce their broadcasts.
On April 29, 2020, Amazon renewed its digital rights through the 2022 season, maintaining TNF simulcasts and digital content, and adding exclusive international rights to one late-season game per-season. Amazon replaced the British feed with a "Scout's Feed" and "NFL Next Live" on Twitch.
In January 2023, Kaylee Hartung, Amazon's sideline reporter, joined NBC News' The Today Show as a national correspondent.
On March 28, 2023, the NFL implemented changes to Thursday Night Football in response to Amazon's demands for better games. These changes include allowing teams to play up to two Thursday games after a Sunday game and the option to flex Sunday games into Thursday between weeks 13 and 17 with 28 days' notice.
Beginning in 2023, the NFL will add a Friday afternoon game on the Friday after Thanksgiving, leveraging the "Black Friday" shopping audience for advertising retail products and "Cyber Monday" promotions.
In 2023, Amazon's exclusive rights to Thursday Night Football took effect.
In March 2021, Amazon acquired exclusive rights to TNF from 2023 through 2033. NFL Network, Fox, and Amazon opted out of the final year of the current agreement, so Amazon's rights would begin in the 2022 NFL season instead. Amazon was close to partnering with NBC Sports to produce their broadcasts.
As of Week 17 of the 2024 NFL season, standings are current.
In March 2021, Amazon acquired exclusive rights to TNF from 2023 through 2033. NFL Network, Fox, and Amazon opted out of the final year of the current agreement, so Amazon's rights would begin in the 2022 NFL season instead. Amazon was close to partnering with NBC Sports to produce their broadcasts.
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