NBC Deal: Finding a Schedule that Works
Kevin Sheller
Thursday July 18, 2002
The switch from the spring/summer season (March – August) to winter/spring (February – June) season was the most dramatic and obvious provision.
A smaller but still significant problem that NBC and the AFL faced was the conflict with two major NBC Sports broadcasts: The PGA Tour’s Players` Championship and U.S. Open. Both are important golf events that NBC holds in the highest regard.
The solution: AFL games played during the Players` Championship (March 30, 2003) will not be aired on NBC. This is the only AFL weekend that will go uncovered by the network.
Meanwhile, a league bye-week will be created between the last round of the playoffs and the ArenaBowl so that NBC can air the U.S. Open (June 15, 2003) in its entirety.
The AFL also intends to expand the season from two preseason games and 14 regular-season games to 16 regular-season games and no preseason contests. Getting two extra weeks of regular-season football is much more desirable than two weeks of meaningless contests. Face it, preseason NFL football is uninteresting enough. Preseason AFL football is even less appealing. NBC and the AFL decided to make those games count.
Weekly Games
On any given Sunday, rather than show one national game and other regional games like NFL broadcasts, NBC will simply divide the country into four sections. Everyone in that section of the country will view the same game.
All four games will be broadcast simultaneously if possible, but arrangements may be made to separate games on the east coast versus games on the west coast. Other NBC Sports telecasts may make this necessary as well as the time zone constraints. For example: The west coast may see an AFL game after a golf telecast, while the east coast would see a game before it.
Eighteen teams are expected to participate in the 2003 AFL season. Of the nine games played each week, four of those will be regionally telecast on NBC. The deal still allows local sports channels, like FOX Chicago for the Rush, to broadcast any of the remaining games not covered by NBC.
Playoffs
In addition to the regular season, every playoff game will be televised on NBC, though not every game will have a national audience. Twelve teams will make the playoffs in 2003, using the same format as this season. The four weeks of playoffs are as follows:
With the first and quarter-final rounds, a total of four games each, NBC will show two games on Saturday and two on Sunday with regional telecasts of one game each day. (One region will watch one game, while the other will be shown to the other region.)
The semi-final round will have two games, both shown nationally. And of course, the ArenaBowl will be shown nationally as well.
So, a fan sitting at home could view seven playoff games if he watched every game available. Two first-round games, two quarter-final games, both semi-final games, and the ArenaBowl.
Hardcore Arena Football fans will notice that this is a loss of playoff coverage. TNN, ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, and the AFL found a way to schedule and broadcast every playoff game, even the earlier rounds. Until the AFL gets the kind of ratings that the other major sports are accustomed to, don’t expect to see NBC give the AFL 100% playoff exposure.
Studio Show
How about a show like, “Inside the AFL,” or “The AFL Today?”
“There will be a studio show, but plans for that have not been finalized,” said Kevin Sullivan, V.P. of Communications for NBC Sports.
A pre-game show is not likely to preface AFL telecasts this season, but a halftime show is in the works. It is still too early for NBC to make any announcements as to the format of the show, or the show’s hosts.
It is also too early to learn anything about the broadcast teams. Does the network hope to use AFL veterans or big-name play-by-play broadcasters? Perhaps we can expect some combination of both. Only time will tell.
Kevin Sheller ia founder of Arenafan Online and was the principal owner until 2004. Kevin graduated from the University of Akron with a degree in technical writing, and has been a member of the Arena Football Internet community since 1993. He has worked as a professional web programmer and is also the executive producer for a computer/video game company. The most recent Xbox title to his credit is called Hunter: The Reckoning.
