From the NFL Kickoff Live from The National Mall in Washington D.C. on September 4 to the crowning of the NFL champion at Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston, Texas on February 1, NFL fans around the world this year will have a front-row seat for all the action.
More than 60 broadcasters from 223 countries and territories in virtually every corner of the globe will receive NFL programming – in excess of 70,000-hours worth – during the 2003 season, stretching across 24 time zones and broadcast in more than 30 languages.
For the first time since 1986, the NFL will come to free TV in China, the world’s most populous country. Thanks to an agreement with CCTV, China’s only national terrestrial broadcaster, the NFL will be made available in more than 300 million households with a potential audience of over one billion.
With penetration of more than 90 percent throughout mainlaind China, CCTV-5, the network’s dedicated sports channel, will broadcast late-season NFL action leading into the 2003 playoffs. CCTV-5 will culminate its NFL coverage at Super Bowl XXXVIII, when it sends an eight-person crew to Houston to cover the game and surrounding festivities for live broadcast.
NFL fans in Japan also will be enjoying two new shows this season. NTV will debut NFL Club, a weekly program featuring game highlights, player features and previews of upcoming games. GAORA’s Gridiron, airing every other week, is aimed at attracting new fans by combining the thrill of football with pop culture. NFL highlights and commentary will be combined with new and recently released Japanese music videos.
In addition to new programming during the 2003 season, the following broadcasters have finalized either new or renewed agreements to continue to meet the needs of NFL fans worldwide: ART (pan-Middle East); Craig Media (Canada); ESPN International (Global); ESPN Star (pan-Asia); FOX Sports Latin America (pan-Latin America); FOX Sports Middle East (pan-Middle East); METV (Israel); MTV3 (Finland); Orbit (pan-Middle East); ORF (Austria); Star Digital (Turkey); UBC (Thailand); Cable Bahamas-Sunday Ticket (Bahamas); DIRECTV Latin America-Sunday Ticket (pan-Latin America); Rogers-Sunday Ticket (Canada) and Shaw-Sunday Ticket (Canada).
‘Football fans beyond the United States are extremely excited about the 2003 season,’ says NFL commissioner PAUL TAGLIABUE. ‘Serving those fans – and creating new ones – through compelling and innovative TV programming is something we are committed to.’
The NFL’s international media partners will not only air games this season, but they also will carry NFL Films-produced magazine programs and archival footage, as well as locally produced, NFL-themed programs and specials.
‘Our programming is designed to educate and entertain fans worldwide,’ says DOUG QUINN, NFL International senior vice president. ‘Content will be available to satisfy the hard-core fans, as well as those exposed to the game for the first time. Through our broadcast partners, millions of fans will experience NFL football this season.’
In what has quickly become a new tradition, the NFL will kick off its season for the second year in a row on a Thursday night when the New York Jets visit the Washington Redskins on September 4. The game will follow ‘NFL Kickoff Live from the National Mall Presented by Pepsi Vanilla,’ a football and music festival in the heart of Washington DC. Thousands of U.S. military personnel will be saluted in performances by AEROSMITH, MARY J. BLIGE, GOOD CHARLOTTE and BRITNEY SPEARS. ARETHA FRANKLIN will conclude the event by singing the national anthem.
Eleven international broadcasters will be on-site to cover the concert and kickoff festivities, and a news feed of the event will be made available to all broadcast partners – generating sports, news and entertainment coverage of the event around the globe.
‘The NFL Kickoff event is what American sport does best,’ says NICK HALLING, American football presenter for Sky Sports UK. ‘They take something simple like the start of a sporting season, and turn it into a truly spectacular event. Even if you know nothing about the game, you’ll not fail to notice that the NFL is back in town. Roll out the new season!’
In addition to game broadcasts, NFL programming supplied to international broadcasters for 2003 includes:
The 30-minute magazine show NFL Blast takes fans behind the scenes. Now in its sixth season, Blast combines an entertaining style with an instructional flair. With weekly highlights, player profiles, music videos and stories from around the world, viewers will learn about NFL football and enjoy every minute.
On Mondays, the NFL Satellite News Service (SNS) offers scores and highlights from every Sunday game to broadcast partners for use in their sports and news programs, as well as on global news services. It also features a popular ‘Plays of the Week’ segment.
NFL International is also providing a second Satellite News feed, which will be available on Wednesdays, focusing on off-the-field features, press conferences, local team stories and charitable community activities in which NFL players are regularly involved.
Super Bowl Memories captures the passion and pageantry of the NFL championship game. Individual vignettes provide a synopsis of the most memorable and historic moments from the past 37 Super Bowls, detailing the drama and action of the NFL’s title game. Then, one week before Super Bowl XXXVIII kicks off in Houston, Texas on Sunday, February 1, 2004, Road to the Super Bowl will review the 2003 season, from training camp through the conference championship games, preparing viewers for the ultimate game.
Fans can relive the previous week’s action and prepare for upcoming games by tuning in to NFL GameDay, a 30-minute highlight program from NFL Films. The show recaps every game in classic NFL Films fashion and includes a preview of the upcoming week’s action.
For further information please contact:
Pete Abitante
Tel: =1 212 450 2065