NFL on ITV

Well it looks as though ITV have snatched the rights to the NFL from five, but the info on Media Guardian is sketchy to say the least.

I have a few questions, namely:

1. Will ITV be covering the NFL from the outset? or will they just pick up coverage from the play-offs?

2. Will this see the return of Gary Imlach to front the coverage? Or even Nicky Horne?

Any other info would be appreciated, though this is the first time ITV have shown the NFL since the early 1980s when it was just highlights and the first time they've shown gridiron in any form since the early 1990s.

So Jonathan Gould has lost another job then?

At present it's just Playoff Highlights and Superbowl Live, regular season coverage hasn't been awarded yet.

Sky Sports will continue to have live games every Sunday (normally at least 2), every playoff games live and the Superbowl Live.

What exactly do ITV want with American Football? It's a terrible, tedious sport which has no real following in this country. It makes sense for Five to show low-cost programming like this in the early hours of the morning (it can hand over six hours at a time because it has no alternative and low enough viewing figures as it is).

I don't just think this is a daft move because I'm prejudiced against American Football - I like ice hockey but I think ITV would be daft to bid for that.

Bit like baseball really. Americans love it, they even have "little leagues" for junior players and what not. I don't understand why as baseball is boring to my mind.



Don't five do a good job of, um, rebroadcasing ESPN/EPSN2/Fox Sports twice a week for Ice Hockey and taking all the commercials out? Mind you with the ESPN/Fox presentation style it's a good example of what Sky Sports could have been like. Nobody "commentates" on ESPN, they just waffle on endlessly about nothing.

I think this is a complete disaster. five are just as likely to tell the NFL where to put their regular season coverage. Sky might pick up the SNF/MNF, although NASN getting it would be good.
Overall, a *big* mistake by the NFL. Their new best buddies at ITV will never do as good a job as five (even though there was room for improvement with five).

Either the NFL Sunday/Monday ticket needs to become a reality, or NASN (or Sky) needs to be given the live stuff if five does not want it.

Overall, a *bad* decision. Well done NFL.

'cos it fills up a pretty dire Sunday night very easily and cheaply.

Not necessarily, if ITV get the regular season and put it on ITV2 it wouldn't be so bad. Especially if they get Nicky Horne or someone like that to present it.

Baseball is very tediuos on television (and radio for that matter); I find it a lot more fun in person.

That being said, I'm far more a football and basketball fan than baseball fan (though I enjoy going to games as much as the next guy - and grew up a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan). Football is not something that I'd think the UK networks would be as interested in; I actually would have expected Sky to be the ones to carry it, if anyone there would -- especially since Sky is tied corporately to Fox here.



I watch some hockey once in a great while -- I watched more when I worked over at CNN - I got to watch the CBC broadcasts regularly. They do a much better job than ESPN/ABC tries to do here. (not to mention that I'm a closet Don Cherry fan!)

But surely the difference is that whatever programme Five comes up with for a Sunday night is going to be hitting zero because it's on Five, whereas if ITV put on a bland, general entertainment programme (even a repeat), they'll get more viewers than the NFL. Although I suppose seeing as there's never any adverts on overnight anymore, it hardly matters.

Well I think it goes with ITV's new ethos of "cherry picking" event sports.

Obviously that extends to US sport, and as it'll be tucked away in the early hours of the morning, and not have to go into primetime, it won't affect ratings.

It's more a case of sounding impressive, "Superbowl final Live on ITV1" I guess.