Network Execs Meeting With NFL Officials On Thursday Package

Network execs are meeting with NFL execs in Manhattan this week to discuss the bids they submitted for a slate of Thursday night games. It is thought the NFL will decide on the winning bidder within several days, and a formal announcement could come as soon as next week. Network execs believe the league wants to act quickly because it would want to have all its TV partners in place as it starts crafting its '14 schedule – a process that usually begins soon after the Super Bowl.

All of the league's TV partners submitted bids last Friday for the Thursday night game package. Turner Sports also placed a bid. It is not clear who is the front runner or how much the package is worth, since nobody outside of the NFL has seen the bids. Sources said that if ESPN wins, it would put the games on ABC. CBS, Fox and NBC also most likely would put the games on their broadcast nets. The available package will only be one year, and games likely will be simulcast on NFL Network.