NBC Ramping Up Coverage for NFL Kick-off 9/3
By: Matt Tamanini Aug. 29, 2013
NBC Sports Group will surround the 2013 NFL season, which kicks off one week from today on NBC, with multi-platform coverage across its unprecedented portfolio of assets. NFL coverage will include live game presentation on NBC with Sunday Night Football, the No. 1 show in Primetime TV; pre-game coverage on NBC with Football Night in America, the most watched pre-game show in sports; live streaming of Sunday Night Football for desktops and tablets on NBC Sports Live Extra; daily studio coverage on NBCSN with Pro Football Talk; weekly programming on NBCSN with Emmy Award-nominated NFL Turning Point; daily radio coverage on 339 NBC Sports Radio affiliates across the United States; local team coverage on 11 NBC Sports Regional Networks; comprehensive fantasy football coverage on NBCSN with Fantasy Football Live - Thursday Night!, and online through Rotoworld.com; and additional digital and social media content.
NFL KICKOFF 2013 AND SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
The NFL opens the regular season on Thursday, Sept. 5, with NFL Kickoff 2013 on NBC. Joe Flacco and the defending Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens travel to Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver, Colo., to face Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in a rematch of the 2012 AFC Divisional Playoff game. A pre-game concert will feature performances by Grammy Award-winning artist Keith Urban, from a specially constructed stage floating in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Coverage begins on NBC at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Sunday Night Football, the No. 1 Primetime show on television, kicks off on Sunday, Sept. 8, when Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys host Eli Manning and the New York Giants from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with Football Night in America, the most-watched pre-game show in sports.
Calling both games is seven-time Emmy Award-winner Al Michaels (play-by-play), in his 28th season as The Voice of the NFL's premier Primetime package; 14-time Emmy Award-winner Cris Collinsworth, who has won the Emmy for Outstanding Event Analyst in each of his four seasons in the Sunday Night Football booth; and Emmy Award-winning sideline reporter Michele Tafoya.
NBC's coverage of NFL Kickoff 2013 and Sunday Night Football is led by Emmy Award-winning producer Fred Gaudelli and Emmy Award-winning director Drew Esocoff. Sunday Night Football has won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Sports Series for five consecutive years.
Country music superstar Carrie Underwood, will perform "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night", the opening theme for Sunday Night Football, on Sunday, Sept. 8 on NBC's first SNF broadcast of the 2013 NFL season. The opening theme will continue each week kicking off Sunday Night Football throughout the NFL season on NBC.
Football Night in America, the most-watched pre-game show in sports, is hosted by 25-time Emmy Award-winner Bob Costas, who will report from Sports Authority Field at Mile High, on Thursday, and AT&T Stadium, on Sunday. Costas will be joined on site by Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, and two-time Super Bowl winner Hines Ward.
Dan Patrick co-hosts Football Night from Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Thursday night, and from NBC's famed Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday night. Patrick will be joined by Super Bowl-winning head coach Tony Dungy, two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison, Peter King of Sports Illustrated, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on NBCSN and NBCSports.com, and longtime NFL front office veteran and former NFL Executive of the Year Scott Pioli.
Michelle Beadle will host the concert portion of NFL Kickoff 2013 on NBC. As part of the NFL's Kickoff 2013 celebration, Big Machine Records recording artist and winner of Season 4 of NBC's The Voice Danielle Bradberry will sing the National Anthem live from Denver.
In addition to the weekly Sunday Night Football and Football Night in America broadcasts, NBC Sports Group's NFL coverage also includes digital content and social media extensions that are available online, as well as NFL-related shoulder programming available on NBCSN.
NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA
For the sixth consecutive season, the entire Sunday Night Football schedule will be streamed live online. NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports Group's live streaming product for desktops and tablets, will stream all SNF games televised on NBC. The video stream will come directly from NBC's broadcast of SNF, and will include additional camera angles and interactive features.
NBC Sports Live Extra employs a full HD-quality player, which includes a draggable picture-in-picture feature for any of the online-only cameras, plus full DVR functionality allowing the user to pause, scroll back-and-forth, and review plays in slo-motion.
In addition, online coverage features in-game analysis from the Sunday Night Football and Football Night in America teams as well as fantasy tips from Rotoworld fantasy experts.
For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app for tablets is available at the App Store for iPad and iPod touch, and on select tablet devices within Google Play.
Sunday Night Football DIGITAL COVERAGE
Sunday Night Football ALL-ACCESS: For the third straight season, NBCSports.com is providing a destination for fans dedicated to behind-the-scenes content of Sunday Night Football. SNF All-Access includes exclusive photos and videos of the Sunday Night Football production, look-ins on SNF production meetings, Michele Tafoya "Ten With Tafoya" interviews with key NFL players, and a weekly notebook and conversations with SNF and FNIA talent.
Visit SNF All-Access at: http://snfallaccess.nbcsports.com/
Sunday Night Football SOCIAL MEDIA:
· SNF ON FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/SNFonNBC - Over 1 million LIKES strong, The Sunday Night Football Facebook page provides links, photos and videos exclusive to behind-the-scenes at SNF every week. The page aggregates all SNF-related content found within the NBC Sports digital network, including NBCSports.com, SNF All Access, ProFootballTalk.com, and Rotoworld.com.
· SNF ON TWITTER: twitter.com/SNFonNBC - For the second year in a row, Michele Tafoya will be sharing both Twitter updates and live video tweets from @SNFonNBC on the sideline exclusively for the SNF social media platforms, providing fans extended real-time content from Michele's unique sideline perspective. Using tweets, pictures, vine videos and twidvids @SNFonNBC provides unique content with SNF talent, production crew and NFL players.
In addition, each week @SNFonNBC will promote a guest player who will live tweet during the Sunday Night Football broadcast. On Thursday, Sept. 5, former Ravens C Matt Birk (@BirkMatt) will be the guest player. Birk was the starting Center for Baltimore's Super Bowl XLVII winning team. On Sunday, September 8, former Cowboys WR Drew Pearson (@DrewPearsonShow) will be the guest player. Pearson went into the Cowboys Ring of Honor in 2011. The tweets from the guest player will automatically be pulled into the SNF Extra Player.
· SNF ON INSTAGRAM: Going into its third season, Sunday Night Football gives the SNF fan a look at photos through the filters of Instagram. Fans get a look inside the production trucks, the locker rooms, on the field and around the city. Fans also have the opportunity to submit photos through Instagram using #SNF that will automatically be curated into a special Instagram tab on the Sunday Night Football Facebook page.
Beginning with the Sunday Night Football opener on Sept. 8, the Sunday Night Football bus will travel to all 17 SNF games, arriving in each city two or three days prior to each game. The bus will make stops at local landmarks and events in each market before making its way to the game site for a full Sunday at the stadium, giving fans the opportunity to interact with America's most-watched Primetime television show.
The Sunday Night Football bus will incorporate exclusive activities and social media both inside and out. SNF's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts along with the #SNF hashtag will be displayed on the exterior. Once on the bus, fans and visitors can tweet and post photos of themselves in the broadcast positions occupied by Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth from a mock SNF studio.
Also, along for the ride will be four SNF "Fans of the Week" chosen based on their social media activity, team pride and SNF fandom. In each home market, the SNF "Fans of the Week" will be given a VIP experience that includes a trip on the bus and game tickets.
Fans who can't visit in person can "Follow The Bus" when it hits the road at NBCSports.com/FollowSNF, which will include an interactive map, a behind-the-scenes look at the Sunday Night Football crew and talent, plus content from the bus itself. Fans can also contribute to the map by uploading their own photos sharing and showing their SNF and team pride.
THE SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
For the second consecutive season NBC Sports will present The Sunday Night Football, a custom made football from Wilson, which will travel with the SNF crew all season long. Fans of SNF on Facebook and Twitter will be able to keep up with The Sunday Night Football on the SNF Facebook page, follow its path through each city and recommend where it should visit while in town. In addition, fans can visit NBCSports.com/FollowSNF.
At the end of each SNF game, "The Sunday Night Football" will be signed by the player of the game. Photos, video and stories around The Sunday Night Football and its travels will live on Facebook, Twitter, and SNF All-Access.
NFL Turning Point SEASON PREMIERE WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 11,
10 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
The third season of Emmy-nominated NFL Turning Point, NBCSN's weekly show co-produced by NFL Films, will debut Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 10 p.m. ET and will be hosted by Football Night in America's Dan Patrick. The hour-long program will air throughout the NFL regular season and will focus on the crucial 'turning point' moment in several games for football fans each week by utilizing NFL Films' unmatched cinematography and sideline and on-field audio.
PRO FOOTBALL TALK ON NBCSN
WEEKNIGHTS, 5:30 P.M. ET
Pro Football Talk, NBCSN's daily NFL studio show co-hosted by Mike Florio and Erik Kuselias, airs at 5:30 p.m. ET every Monday through Friday. The show regularly features a roster of NBC Sports football commentators, including Rodney Harrison, Hines Ward, Doug Flutie, Ross Tucker, Peter King, and Scott Pioli.
In addition to deep diving on the most topical NFL stories of the day, Pro Football Talk provides all-encompassing coverage of the NFL, including the most current news and analysis, engaging features, thought-provoking debates, and interviews with a wide variety of NFL newsmakers.
FANTASY FOOTBALL LIVE ON NBCSN
THURSDAY NIGHTS, 6:30 P.M. ET
Building off of Yahoo! Sports' popular Sunday live streaming show Fantasy Football Live, Fantasy Football Live on NBCSN is a live and on-demand, multi-platform, fantasy football program that airs at 6:30 p.m. ET on Thursday nights.
Fantasy Football Live on NBCSN combines the best fantasy football expertise from Yahoo! Sports and NBC Sports, including unique metrics from Yahoo! Sports' leading fantasy football platform, and full integration with NBC Sports' premier fantasy sports information site, Rotoworld.com.
A subsequent, digital-only version of Fantasy Football Live is available live from 7-7:30 p.m. ET, as well as through video-on-demand across web and through mobile devices on both Yahoo! Sports and NBCSports.com.
Hosted by NBC Sports' Erik Kuselias, Fantasy Football Live features a mix of Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and Rotoworld fantasy experts, including NBC Sports' Shaun King, and Yahoo! Sports' Brad Evans and Brandon Funston. Yahoo! Sports' Melanie Collins will host the digital show. Rotoworld's Kay Adams will be a regular contributor for the show across both platforms.
NBC SPORTS RADIO
NBC Sports Radio will surround the 2013 NFL season with daily coverage on 339 radio affiliates, highlighted by McNabb and Malone; an all-sports show that leverages the unique perspective of two former NFL quarterbacks, and Safety Blitz with Rodney Harrison; featuring three-time All Pro and two-time Super Bowl-winner Rodney Harrison.
NBC SPORTS REGIONAL AFFILIATES
NBC Sports Regional Networks, which serve top NFL markets such as New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston and San Francisco, will surround the 2013 NFL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most in more than 50 million U.S. households.
NEW "FreeD" TECHNOLOGY
NBC Sports and the Dallas Cowboys have partnered with Replay Technologies Inc. to provide a unique, new 360-degree "FreeD" look at red-zone plays for viewers watching NBC football telecasts and fans at each SNF game played at AT&T Stadium in 2013.
"FreeD" (free dimensional video) will debut during the Sept. 8 Sunday Night Football New York Giants-Dallas Cowboys opener. In addition, NBC Sports will use the system for the Oct. 5 Notre Dame-Arizona State game, and the Oct. 13 Redskins-Cowboys SNF game (in addition to any Cowboys home games flexed into primetime) at AT&T Stadium. Fans in the stadium will also see "FreeD" replays on the scoreboard at all home games, as well as on Cowboys local programming during the season.
The "FreeD" system will utilize 24 high-speed cameras mounted in the stadium -- 12 in each red zone placed on both sides of the field from the 20-yard line to the goal line and in the back of each end zone -- to provide replays of key red-zone plays from a 360-degree perspective, enabling fans to see the action seamlessly.
CARRIE UNDERWOOD
NBC selected six-time Grammy Award-winner and multi-platinum recording artist, Carrie Underwood, to perform "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night," the opening theme for Primetime television's No. 1 program, Sunday Night Football on NBC. Country music superstar Underwood, the season-four winner of American Idol, makes her Sunday Night Football debut on Sunday, September 8 on NBC's first SNF broadcast of the 2013 NFL season. The opening theme will continue each week kicking off Sunday Night Football every Sunday night throughout the NFL season on NBC.
Thirteen NFL players, who have accounted for 55 Pro Bowl selections, six Super Bowl rings and four Super Bowl MVP trophies, will participate in the open with Underwood. Players include Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald, New Orleans TE Jimmy Graham, Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson, Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck, New York Giants QB Eli Manning, Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning, Green Bay Packers LB Clay Matthews, Philadelphia Eagles RB LeSean McCoy, Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, Baltimore Ravens LB Terrell Suggs, Dallas Cowboys DE DeMarcus Ware, Houston Texans DE J.J. Watt, San Francisco 49ers LB Patrick Willis.
Since winning American Idol and releasing her debut album in 2005, Underwood has sold over 15 million albums, and placed 18 No. 1 singles on the charts. "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night" is set to the original Joan Jett song, "I Hate Myself for Loving You" and marks Underwood's first production with NBC Sports. From 2007-2012, the song was performed by music superstar Faith Hill and in 2006, the inaugural season of Sunday Night Football, Pink performed the open.
AL MICHAELS HONORED BY PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME
AND SPORTS BROADCASTING HALL OF FAME
Seven-time Emmy Award-winner Al Michaels was honored Aug. 2 by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with the prestigious Pete Rozelle Radio & Television Award. Presented annually by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the award recognizes long-time exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football.
Michaels received the award during the annual Enshrinees Gold Jacket Dinner in Canton, Ohio.
The Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame recently recognized Michaels for his "excellence and lifetime achievement", and announced that he will be a member of their 2013 Hall of Fame Class. Michaels will be inducted during a ceremony in New York in December.
For a full bio on Michaels, click here: http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/bio/al-michaels-2/
SNF NO. 1 Primetime PROGRAM ON TELEVISION FOR TWO YEARS RUNNING:
In 2012-13 Sunday Night Football on NBC finished the regular television season as the No. 1 show in Primetime (Viewers 2+ and all key adult and male demos), based on Nielsen live + same day data and all 19 SNF telecasts. 2012-13 was the second straight television season, and only the second time on record, that a sports series has been the most-watched show of the Primetime TV season. (2011-12, SNF on NBC)
For the 2012-2013 Primetime television season, Sunday Night Football ranked as the most-watched show (21.5 million, viewers 2+), and the No. 1 program across the key demographics of Adults 18-49, 18-34, 25-54 as well as Men 18-49, 18-34 and 25-54.
· The 21.5 million average viewers for Sunday Night Football (all 19 telecasts) topped second place NCIS (21.3 million);
· In the advertiser-coveted Adult 18-49 demographic, SNF topped the second place show by two full ratings points (8.2 vs. 6.2 for Big Bang Theory);
· In the Adult 18-34 demographic, Sunday Night Football's margin over the second place show was 60% (7.2 vs. 4.5 for Big Bang Theory).
· The 2010, 2011 and 2012 seasons of Sunday Night Football are the first three seasons that an NFL Primetime package drew more than 21 million viewers since the 1994-1996 seasons of Monday Night Football on ABC.
The critically acclaimed Football Night in America, which precedes Sunday Night Football, each week at 7 p.m. ET, averaged 7.8 million viewers in 2012, making it the most watched pre-game show in sports.
Sunday Night Football has won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Sports Series in each of the last five years.
2013 SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
NBC will broadcast 19 Primetime NFL games during the 2013 season, highlighted by: Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos hosting the Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens on NFL Kickoff 2013 on Thursday, Sept. 5; a classic NFC East rivalry as the Dallas Cowboys host the New York Giants in the opening Sunday Night Football game on Sept. 8; Manning returning home to Indianapolis to take on Andrew Luck and the Colts; and NBC's annual Thanksgiving night game, featuring the heated AFC North rivalry Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens.
2013 Sunday Night Football SCHEDULE
Thurs. Sept. 5 NFL Kickoff Baltimore Ravens at Denver Broncos
Sun. Sept. 8 Week 1 New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys
Sun. Sept. 15 Week 2 San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks
Sun. Sept. 22 Week 3 Chicago Bears at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sun. Sept. 29 Week 4 New England Patriots at Atlanta Falcons
Sun. Oct. 6 Week 5 Houston Texans at San Francisco 49ers
Sun. Oct. 13 Week 6 Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys
Sun. Oct. 20 Week 7 Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts
Sun. Oct. 27 Week 8 Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
Sun. Nov. 3 Week 9 Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans
Sun. Nov. 10 Week 10 Dallas Cowboys at New Orleans Saints
*Sun. Nov. 17 Week 11 Green Bay Packers at New York Giants
*Sun. Nov. 24 Week 12 Denver Broncos at New England Patriots
**Thurs. Nov. 28 Week 13 Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens
*Sun. Dec. 1 Week 13 New York Giants at Washington Redskins
*Sun. Dec. 8 Week 14 Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers
*Sun. Dec. 15 Week 15 Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
*Sun. Dec. 22 Week 16 New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens
*Sun. Dec. 29 Week 17 TBA
*Flex Week
**Thanksgiving Night Game
NBC SPORTS GROUP NFL WEEK 1 AND 2 COVERAGE
Date Time Coverage Network
Tues., Sept. 3 5:30 p.m. Pro Football Talk NBCSN
Wed., Sept. 4 5:30 p.m. Pro Football Talk NBCSN
Thurs., Sept. 5 5:30 p.m. Pro Football Talk NBCSN 6:30 p.m. Fantasy Football Live -- Thursday Night! NBCSN 7:30 p.m. NFL Kickoff 2013 NBC 8:30 p.m. NFL Kickoff 2013: Baltimore Ravens at Denver Broncos NBC
Fri., Sept. 6 5:30 p.m. Pro Football Talk NBCSN
Sun., Sept. 8 7 p.m. Football Night in America NBC 8 p.m. SNF: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys NBC
Mon., Sept. 9 5:30 p.m. Pro Football Talk NBCSN
Tues., Sept. 10 5:30 p.m. Pro Football Talk NBCSN
Wed. Sept. 11 5:30 p.m. Pro Football Talk NBCSN 6:30 p.m. Fantasy Football Live NBCSN 10 p.m. NFL Turning Point NBCSN
Thurs., Sept. 12 5:30 p.m. Pro Football Talk NBCSN
Fri., Sept. 13 5:30 p.m. Pro Football Talk NBCSN
Sun., Sept. 15 7 p.m. Football Night in America NBC 8 p.m. SNF: San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks NBC
*All times ET. Subject to change.
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