News: Patriots-Chiefs to Monday, NHL rights, bowls

GLENDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 18: The CBS and NFL logos on a banner during the NFL football game between the Oakland Raiders and the Arizona Cardinals on November 18, 2018 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire)

Patriots-Chiefs has been rescheduled for Monday night and is set to remain a national CBS game. Plus: the NHL should have no shortage of suitors even after its least-watched Cup Final since 2007; ESPN has canceled a pair of bowl games.

Pats-Chiefs rescheduled for Monday night

The Patriots-Chiefs NFL game that was originally set to take place Sunday afternoon has been rescheduled for Monday night. The game is set to begin at 7 PM ET and air nationally on CBS. As a result of the move, ESPN’s scheduled Falcons-Packers Monday Night Football game has been pushed back 35 minutes from 8:15 to 8:50 PM. [Related: 2020 NFL TV schedule.]

The last time a Sunday NFL game was postponed to Monday night was 2014, when Jets-Bills was pushed back due to a snowstorm. That game also aired on CBS, but only in the participating markets. In the same situation four years earlier, a rescheduled Giants-Vikings game on FOX was also limited to the home markets.

One would have to go back to 2005 to find the last time that a game postponed to Monday night aired nationally. That year, the Saints’ home opener against the Giants was pushed to Monday night (and relocated to New York) due to Hurricane Katrina. ESPN aired the game in full, and ABC simulcast the first half as a lead-in to its scheduled Monday Night Football game. [NFL PR 10.4]

Report: ESPN, Fox and even CBS could bid on NHL

ESPN and Fox Sports said to be interested in pursuing NHL media rights, and CBS Sports could also make a bid, according to Front Office Sports. The NHL’s current $200 million/year deal with NBC expires at the end of next season. The NHL, which is widely expected to split its rights across multiple partners in its next deal, earlier this year delayed negotiations until at least the end of 2020. [Front Office Sports 10.2]

ESPN cancels pair of bowl games

ESPN this week announced the cancellations of this year’s Bahamas and Hawaii college football bowl games. While the Bahamas Bowl is only five years old, the Hawaii Bowl dates back to 2002 — and Hawaii-based bowl games have been played in all-but-one year since 1982. In addition to the most recent cancellations, the San Francisco-based “Redbox Bowl” was called off over the summer. [ESPN PR 10.2]

The PCSA has reportedly been revised to allow existing media rights deals to continue; a new streaming coalition officially...

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Comments 13

Sam Rosem says:

6 years ago

The NHL is making the right call here by splitting the deals instead of being exclusive to one network which is something I wanted the NBA and MLB to do which I think is going to happen on their next deals especially MLB on the next ESPN deal which might include more games on ABC.

It would be so interesting to see the NHL on CBS as I think the main part of the deal needs to be some exposure on Saturday afternoons that was something I used to love about the old FOX deal. I think the NHL should do 3 deals keep the NHL on NBC one as NBC has really helped with the NHL’s increased popularity since that lockout since in 2004-05 and then add CBS and FOX or even ABC. They should rotate the Stanley Cup Finals like the NFL does with the Super Bowl.

CBS Sports has a lot of room on CBSSN to add games and they can certainly do Saturday afternoon games pending what NCAA Basketball does.

FOX has plenty of space on FS1 and FOX has been committed to more and more primetime sports programming and they have room for Saturday afternoons or even Sunday afternoons to add games.

With ESPN not sure how ABC will fit in but I know ESPN will figure out how to make room Thursday nights are available after football season and with them having ESPN2 to add games they should be fine.

I think NBC makes the most sense keeping that deal and finding two other networks to go along with that even if it’s just one.

Hopefully, the NBA will give CBS or NBC a shot at the next deal. I think Turner’s next deal should be partnered with CBS so that their crew can host the NBA Finals and we can get Charles Barkley for pre, halftime, and post. If the NHL actually does split deals with the other networks then NBC can make a bid to cover the NBA Finals during years when the NHL is on FOX, CBS, or ABC.

I would love if NBC could do tripleheaders again on Sundays for the NBA.
Nate Johnson says:

6 years ago

If the NHL is able to pull off a multiple network deal (not including Turner or any strictly cable station, I’m talking Big 4), I will be even more disappointed in the NBA for not pulling that off years ago. I guess the jury is still out on the MLB because maybe they could add in an ABC package in the next ESPN deal especially with no Sunday afternoon games since TBS opted out.

I understand the value of the NHL is lower than the NBA and MLB which means the networks could possibly believe they could profit off a lesser price, but this will still be disappointing if the NHL pulls this off.
- Dale Moog says:
  
  6 years ago
  
  The NBA has a great deal they have ESPN with a huge commitment giving primetime Saturday night and Sunday games the entire second half of the season on ABC. They also have TNT with Thursday night and Tuesday night games. I think if you split the NBA up anymore it would be chopped up way to much, They were the first league to split right when they went with Turner and NBC 30 years ago. Just because they may not have as many network games as they did back in the 1990’s with NBC does not mean they have a bad deal. This deal is better than MLB and NHL currently have
Ryan Strnad says:

6 years ago

I remembered back in the day where if a Sunday game had to be moved to a Monday Night (World Series game 7’s in particular), it would have to air regionally & be broadcast on & by the Monday Night Football network (ABC), period! Now they do all this whirlygiging. Im sure they’ll be shared revenues among the networks with the Patriots-Chiefs.
Samuel says:

6 years ago

When is the last time CBS aired an NHL game? I believe it might have been the early 80s. I can see CBS showing games, especially on Saturday afternoons at 3:30 ET to fill the SEC void coming up in a few years. What I can’t see is the NHL being stupid enough to put games on CBSSN, the worst sports cable network that isn’t even rated. I’m surprised the only network not to appear on here is Turner because they could team up with CBS like with March Madness as their cable alternative. This way most games would be on Turner and CBS could get a Saturday afternoon package, maybe some Saturday evening games and maybe even some Sunday afternoon games after the Super Bowl plus the Winter Classic, some playoff games and the Stanley Cup Final (probably with Turner airing Games 2 and 3). That’s if CBS were to win the rights all to themselves which is unlikely, but they could make it work. Wherever the NHL ends up, it better be split because airing playoff games on USA and Golf channel is embarrassing.
Eddie says:

6 years ago

Who’s going to win the NHL tv rights?
Here are the candidates for the network on tv
NBC/NBCSN, Fox/FS1, CBS/CBSSN, ABC/ESPN, and Turner Sports( TNT, TBS, TRUTV)
Conrad says:

6 years ago

I don’t see CBS bidding on more than the Winter Classic, Saturday primetime until the NCAA Tournament starts, and Saturday primetime playoff games, not including the full Stanley Cup Final. They won’t want to touch the PGA Tour, including the Masters and the PGA Championship. All their college basketball coverage just builds up to the tournament, that’s untouchable. CBS will apparently do anything to keep 60 Minutes on time and on schedule to the extent it never moves except when CBS could get sued for cutting off coverage. They might try for CBSSN coverage, seeing as it has no pro team sports coverage (NWSL does not count), witch could easily help that failing network. They also might want games for CBS All Access and maybe a few on occasion for CBS Sports HQ.
ABC and ESPN with all of their college and pro basketball, no way they bid, except for the Stadium Series and All-Star Game.
I could see NBC going with an expanded package, such as Saturday primetime games throughout the season except when Notre Dame has a home primetime game, Sunday night games after the NFL playoffs, Saturday and Sunday afternoon games when CBS has the PGA Tour that week, expanded Stanley Cup Playoff coverage including the full Final on NBC. Other than Atlantic Ten basketball, NASCAR, and IndyCar, NBCSN has nothing, so they could show an expanded package as well. I think NBC also might want games for Peacock.
Fox could easily do Saturday primetime after college football season, Sunday primetime after the NFL season, the Winter Classic, Stadium Series, and the All-Star Game. It would also give FS1 a lot more content. Fox could easily provide a ton of Stanley Cup Playoffs and Final coverage. The one issue is scheduling around Fox Saturday Baseball.
- eddie says:
  
  6 years ago
  
  Is NBC bid Atlantic Ten basketball or move it to ESPN plus? What other media rights of NHL and upcoming tv rights in beyond. what’s going take NBC to bid other sports properties, college football, and many more sports programming.
- Dale Moog says:
  
  6 years ago
  
  WOW people are way to high on the NHL. No one wants primetime network NHL games during the regular season and NO way will we see them on Sundays. FOX would consider it because they have shifted to live sports as the major property in the line up but they will not take Sunday nights. CBS could do early season Saturday afternoon games in OCT-JAN to off set the loss of the SEC. These rights will end up split like this weeknight games Monday (NBCSN) Tuesday (FS1) Wednesday (NBCSN) Thursday (CBSSN) Friday (ESPN/2) Saturday CBS(OCT-JAN) Saturday nigh: Feb March (FOX) and Sunday ESPN/2(ABC)
John Gilkes says:

6 years ago

Would nhl kill nhl.tv and use ESPN app like the mls?
- Paulsen says:
  
  6 years ago
  
  Good question. Sounds plausible, but who knows at this point.
Esl says:

6 years ago

I don’t understand why ESPN would bid for the NHL? With their commitments to the NBA and their massive college basketball conference deals, I don’t see how NHL can fit in their schedule? Unless ESPN will put a weekend game on ABC? Makes no sense. I can definitely see Fox. Would be great winter sport for FS1.
- Paulsen says:
  
  6 years ago
  
  I’m sure ESPN could make it work. Their Thursday nights are usually pretty light after CFB season ends.