Thursday Night Football is getting an early start in the preseason. In other news, the U.S., Mexico and Canada will submit a joint bid to host the 2026 World Cup, and Nielsen’s out-of-home ratings service has launched.
Hall of Fame Game Moves to Thursday Night
- The NFL Hall of Fame Game is moving to Thursday night this season, the first time since 2005 that it has not taken place on a Sunday. The Cowboys will face the Cardinals in this year’s game, which will air on NBC as the first of eight nationally televised preseason matchups. In other NFL scheduling news Monday, the league announced that the October 1 Saints-Dolphins game from London will kickoff at 9:30 AM ET, despite previous indications that it would do away with the early morning games. (NFL Communications 4.10, NBC Sports 4.10)
U.S., Mexico, Canada to Submit Joint World Cup Bid
- The United States, Mexico and Canada will submit a joint bid to host the 2026 World Cup, with the U.S. hosting the majority of games and the final, it was announced Monday. Only once before have multiple nations hosted the same World Cup — Japan and South Korea in 2002. There has long been speculation that the U.S. would host the 2026 tournament, especially after Fox Sports was awarded rights to the event in a surprise media rights extension two years ago. (N.Y. Times 4.10)
Nielsen Out of Home Service Launches
- Nielsen announced Monday that its long-awaited National Out-of-Home Reporting Service is now commercially available, with ESPN and ESPN2 opting in as the first subscribers. Networks who choose to opt into the service will begin receiving data on a weekly basis combining out-of-home and traditional in-home viewership. (Nielsen via PR Newswire 4.10)
