BBC captures NFL TV rights
The BBC has agreed a two-year deal with the NFL to broadcast live games and highlights including the 50th Super Bowl in 2016.
The news comes just days after the public broadcaster announced that budget cuts will force it to narrow its focus on key areas such as drama. The deal will include coverage of Super Bowl 50 on TV, radio and online, and a weekly highlights show on BBC Two and online beginning in early November.
The successful bid will see the BBC once again hold the NFL rights which it lost to Channel 4 in 2013 and marks a rare win for the BBC in terms of sport broadcasting rights. Earlier this year it lost The Open after being trumped by Sky Sports’ £75m bid and it recently lost the rights to the majority of England’s Six Nations games following ITV investment in the sport.
All three games at London's Wembley Stadium will now be broadcast live on BBC Two including the clash between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins on 4 October which will be a BBC exclusive.
Barbara Slater, director of BBC Sport, said the corporation recognised the NFL’s “growing fan base in the UK” and was “delighted that the BBC can bring it free-to-air for our audience”.
Alistair Kirkwood, managing director of NFL UK, said the NFL was “very pleased and excited to be back on the BBC” and said that the BBC’s “free-to-air and digital platforms offer us a fantastic opportunity for further growth of our sport”.
Sky UK still has the TV rights to the majority of NFL matches, airing 70 live games this season, however the Super Bowl viewing figures alone will represent a huge boost for the BBC. Channel 4’s coverage of last year’s Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks recorded a peak of 1.2 million viewers during the game.
Figures for the deal have yet to be released however the news appears to represent good business for both parties. The NFL is looking to expand its brand in the UK and took a major step forward with the push after forming an agreement with Premier League side Spurs. The London club’s new stadium, which is due to open in 2018, will host two NFL games per season for 10 years and has been designed with the NFL in mind such as a retractable field and a seating plan more conductive to NFL football.
The BBC meanwhile will benefit from the accelerating popularity of NFL in the UK which is evident in the increasing number of games and crowd numbers attending the NFL games at Wembley.