Monday Night Football moving to ESPN

[Baclava]

Double switch: Sunday Night Football to NBC


The NFL's "Monday Night Football," a staple on ABC for the past 35 seasons, will move to ESPN starting with the 2006 season.

And NBC is returning to the NFL after six years away by taking the Sunday night broadcast previously on ESPN.

NBC will get the Sunday night package for $600 million over six years, according to the sources. The network will also get the Super Bowl in 2009 and 2012 as part of the deal, a source told The Associated Press.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2040130

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Oh shit - Wonder who the broadcast team will be?
Joe Theisman?...please, say it ain't so.....

[Renew Deal]

1. Interesting.

It will probably be Costas.

[democracyindanger]

10. Unfortunately, it's Rushlicker Al Michaels' gig

ABC owns ESPN, so it's just moving within the same company.

[WI_DEM]

2. This will give NBC a shot in the Neilsen arm

since "Friends" went off last season and many of its other series are getting up in age it has fallen to a poor third. ABC must be nuts to lose "Monday Night Football."

[smoogatz]

5. It's a ratings loser for ABC

They just haven't been able to revive it. I think a lot of people suffer from football burnout, come Monday night. ABC's no doubt looking forward to filling the time slot with high quality reality programming--you know, cute girls eating bugs and stuff.

[Baclava]

8. ABC will be totally OUT of football.

Maybe they'll get the Olympics...

[Catch22Dem]

3. Could be a good move

ESPN has a lot more talent in the broadcast booth than ABC. ABC has been a DUD for YEARS!

[rinsd]

6. ESPN football broadcast team stinks!

Even with Dennis the menace in the booth, MNF has done a far better job than Theismann & McGuire.

Mike Patrick is good but is he better than Al Michaels?

[Catch22Dem]

4. Wait, does that mean cable subscribers are the only ones who can view?

That ain't right!

[KamaAina]

12. They will at least show the game in the home markets

just like they do now on Sunday night: on the same local channel that carries the team's preseason games.

Fat lot of good that does us... Morans.

[wellst0nev0ter]

7. *Shocked* But I Thought Dennis Miller/Rush Limbaugh Would Bring It Back

:eyes:

[HuckleB]

9. Doesn't make sense to me.

But that could be because I don't have cable. Anyway, I'm not likely to watch a game on Sunday night. There's a lot of other things going on then, and I could have watched a game or two already that day, not that I do very often, but... Now, Monday night was often dead time, so I watched once in a while. Oh well, perhaps this will help me read more books!

[Baclava]

11. That's fine for the non-believers...

But for those with only 1 team...where they go - we will follow...

[HuckleB]

13. I've got one team in football.

But I'm not going to waste money on cable for a few games a year. It just isn't worth it.