Thursday Night Football is staying on CBS for part of the 2016 and 2017 seasons, although the NFL will add NBC as a television partner for the series as well beginning next season.
Here's how it breaks down:
- Both CBS and NBC will broadcast five Thursday Night Football games, expanding the package from eight in 2014 and 2015 to 10 broadcast games in 2016 and 2017.
- All Thursday Night Football games will continue to be simulcast on the NFL Network.
- NFL Network will also exclusively televise an eight-game schedule of regular season games comprised of Thursday Night Football, late-season games on Saturday, and additional games to be determined.
- Both CBS and NBC will produce Thursday Night Football with their lead broadcasters and production teams.
- Both CBS and NBC will contribute to the production of Thursday Night Football exclusively on NFL Network.
- CBS and NFL Network will televise the first half of the Thursday Night Football schedule with NBC and NFL Network televising the second half.
The NFL also announced it is in "active discussions" for over-the-top (OTT) streaming rights for Thursday Night Football and expects a new announcement soon.
“We are continuing to make Thursday Night Football bigger and better. CBS has played an integral role over the last two seasons in helping build Thursdays as a night for NFL football, and we're excited to have them on board again," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “At the same time, we're thrilled to add NBC to the Thursday Night Football mix, a trusted partner with a proven track record of success broadcasting NFL football in primetime, and look forward to expanding with a digital partner for what will be a unique tri-cast on broadcast, cable, and digital platforms."
The NFL's partnership with CBS for Thursday Night Football has been a successful one -- the household ratings and viewership numbers were up 59 percent and 61 percent, respectively, in 2015 from the NFL Network-only broadcast in 2013.
"The CBS Corporation and the CBS Television Network are extremely pleased to continue our successful partnership with the NFL on Thursday nights,” said CBS President and Chief Executive Officer Les Moonves. “Thursday Night Football has provided extremely valuable programming and a powerful promotional platform to help launch CBS's primetime schedule, contributing to our standing as the perennial No. 1 and most-watched network. Broadcasting the first half of the Thursday Night Football schedule is a terrific way to jump start the 2016-17 television season. We look forward to another great year of the NFL on CBS on both Thursdays and Sundays.”
