NFL on NBC
On the 22nd of October 1939, a small group of viewers in New York City watched the first televised professional football game. The broadcast aired on W2XBS, now known as WNBC. It featured the Philadelphia Eagles playing against the Brooklyn Dodgers. This event marked the beginning of a relationship that would last for decades. Before this moment, NBC Radio had already carried the Detroit Lions' Thanksgiving game nationwide in 1934. By 1955, the network secured rights to the NFL championship game for $100,000. They took over from DuMont Television Network, which struggled to build a national audience. The partnership helped boost the league's popularity significantly during the late 1950s and early 1960s.
A 1968 game between the Oakland Raiders and the New York Jets became infamous due to a scheduling error. The network cut away to air the movie Heidi just moments after Jim Turner kicked what appeared to be the winning field goal with 1:05 remaining. Millions of irate fans missed the finale because they were watching the film instead. The Raiders scored two touchdowns in eight seconds to win 43, 32. The reaction forced sports leagues to demand networks broadcast all games to their conclusion regardless of score. To prevent future incidents, NBC installed a new phone in the control room wired to a separate exchange. It became known as the Heidi Phone. A 1975 broadcast of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory was delayed until a Washington Redskins-Raiders game finished.
Don Ohlmeyer, then executive producer, began considering a telecast without announcers early in the 1980 season. He believed commentators were overly chatty and did not let the game speak for itself. On the 20th of December 1980, the network aired a contest between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins without play-by-play or color commentary. Viewers heard only the sounds from the stadium. The NFL refused to allow microphones on players themselves, making it impossible to hear signals called by quarterbacks. The network increased its use of on-camera graphics to convey down and distance. Monochromatic yellow lines indicated the first-down marker. Bryant Gumbel walked into the stadium to watch the game and addressed the camera during commercial breaks. He provided scores and updates while interviews with coaches like Don Shula played. Dick Enberg recalled feeling incredible nerve and nervousness about the experiment. Bob Baumhower, a defensive end for the Dolphins, expressed apprehension about what viewers might overhear among the players.
On the 15th of January 1967, the first AFL-NFL World championship game took place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. CBS held rights to nationally televise NFL games while NBC had rights to broadcast AFL games. Both networks covered that first game, which was the only pro football game carried nationally on more than one network until the 29th of December 2007. NBC used its own commentators but was forced to broadcast over CBS's feed and cameras. Ray Scott did play-by-play for the first half while Jack Whitaker handled the second half. Frank Gifford provided commentary for CBS. Curt Gowdy and Paul Christman worked for NBC. In 1971, Super Bowl V between the Baltimore Colts and Dallas Cowboys reached an estimated 23,980,000 homes. It remained the largest household audience ever for a one-day sports event at that time. By 1986, Super Bowl XX between the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots drew 127 million viewers. This replaced the final episode of MAS*H as the most-viewed television program in history. The game aired to 59 foreign countries and was beamed via satellite to the QE2.
NBC introduced the Quantel Cypher graphics system during their coverage of Super Bowl XXIII in 1989. They had previously used Chyron for graphics before this switch. The new system allowed for more advanced visual overlays during broadcasts. On the 17th of October 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake struck the Bay Area. A Week 7 telecast moved from Candlestick Park to Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto. The network also experimented with audio technology. During the announcerless game in 1980, they placed more microphones around the field than usual. However, the NFL refused to allow microphones on players themselves. In 1985, NBC Radio entered into a two-year agreement granting them rights to a 37-game package. This included 27 regular season games and 10 postseason games. The radio broadcast of Super Bowl XXI reached a record 10.1 million listeners in January 1987. The network also commissioned John Tesh to compose Gridiron Dreams in 1989. This theme was used until 1991 when John Colby composed a new one for the 1992 season.
CBS agreed to pay $4 billion over eight years to take over NBC's AFC broadcast rights in 1997. That equated to $500 million per season. NBC reportedly bid up to $340 million but would not go higher. Dick Ebersol, NBC Sports president, argued that the network would not pursue any property costing at least $150 million a year. Their consecutive 33-year run as a football broadcaster ended with Super Bowl XXXII on the 25th of January 1998. The Denver Broncos defeated the Green Bay Packers 31, 24. Following the game, NBC aired a special episode of 3rd Rock from the Sun. CBS passed over longtime NBC veterans Charlie Jones and Bob Trumpy in favor of newcomers like Ian Eagle and Steve Tasker. They wanted to forge their own way and make decisions on a new approach. CBS introduced the EyeBox score and clock graphic which remained constant during broadcasts outside of breaks.
NBC returned to NFL coverage on the 6th of August 2006 with Sunday Night Football. This became their flagship primetime package after losing the AFC contract in 1997. The network airs the annual preseason Pro Football Hall of Fame Game and the NFL Kickoff game. They also broadcast the primetime game on Thanksgiving Day. One regular season game now airs on Peacock. During the playoffs, NBC shows one to three Wild Card Playoff games. They air one Divisional Round Playoff game and rotate the Super Bowl with Fox, CBS, and ESPN/ABC. In 2024, NBC aired a third Wild Card Playoff game exclusively on Peacock. From 2016 to 2017, they added a five-game Thursday Night Football package. Game coverage is usually preceded by the pregame show Football Night in America. The network has maintained this presence since its return in 2006.
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Common questions
When did the NFL on NBC first air a professional football game?
The first televised professional football game aired on the 22nd of October 1939. This broadcast took place on W2XBS, which is now known as WNBC, and featured the Philadelphia Eagles playing against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
What happened during the 1968 Oakland Raiders versus New York Jets game on NBC?
The network cut away to air the movie Heidi immediately after Jim Turner kicked what appeared to be the winning field goal with 1:05 remaining in the game. The Raiders scored two touchdowns in eight seconds to win 43, 32, leading to the creation of the Heidi Phone to prevent future scheduling errors.
Who produced the announcerless NFL game on NBC in December 1980?
Don Ohlmeyer served as executive producer for the contest between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins that aired without play-by-play or color commentary. Viewers heard only stadium sounds while Bryant Gumbel provided scores and updates during commercial breaks.
How many homes watched Super Bowl V between the Baltimore Colts and Dallas Cowboys on NBC?
Super Bowl V reached an estimated 23,980,000 homes when it aired in 1971. It remained the largest household audience ever for a one-day sports event at that time before being surpassed by later broadcasts.
When did the NFL on NBC lose its AFC broadcast rights to CBS?
NBC lost its consecutive 33-year run as a football broadcaster following Super Bowl XXXII on the 25th of January 1998. CBS agreed to pay $4 billion over eight years to take over the rights starting with the 1998 season.