NFL Media Notes: Versus To Air NFL Series That Promotes NBC's "SNF" Game

Versus will roll out an NFL series this season -- a partnership between the NBC Sports Group and NFL Films -- that will help market "Sunday Night Football" on NBC. The series, "NFL Turning Point" debuts Sept. 15 and will occupy the 10:00pm ET timeslot on Thursday through the first half of the season. Starting Nov. 10, once NFL Network begins its Thursday night schedule, the series will move to midnight. It is the first NFL-related series to ever be on Versus' schedule. The series will take an in-depth look at two games from the previous week. Most of the time, the games will involve the upcoming Sunday night teams. The series will identify the turning point of the games and show how the teams practiced and planned for those plays (John Ourand, THE DAILY).

A TALE OF TWO CITIES: In DC, Jim Williams noted DC and Baltimore are “less than 40 miles apart,” but in the “eyes of the NFL, they are two different television markets.” This season there “could be as many as six conflicted Sundays when Redskins games won't be seen in the Baltimore market and Ravens games won't be seen in Washington.” Williams wrote the “ideal situation would be if the NFL would treat the Washington-Baltimore area as a shared market the same way that the Nationals and Orioles are treated" by MLB. If the area were “ruled a shared market, the NFL would adjust the Redskins and Ravens schedules so games are never on the same network on the same day” (WASHINGTON EXAMINER, 8/21).

CHANNEL SURFING: The GLOBE & MAIL’s Bruce Dowbiggin notes the NFL's decision to move kickoffs to from the 30 to the 35 yard line is “likely to send viewers away to other games or channels while advertisers peddle their wares.” Network ads are “the same on all NFL games so it will be the local commercials that are ignored by fans grazing the remote universe till action resumes.” Dowbiggin: “With the NFL already experiencing erosion to its RedZone Channel why give viewers another reason to stray from commercial buyers? Pro sports are the last vestige of real-time appointment viewing. This seems to fly in the face of that convention” (GLOBE & MAIL, 8/22).

CARRIAGE AGREEMENT: Mediacom Communications and NFL Network announced Friday that they have reached a new, long-term agreement for carriage of NFL Network. Mediacom, the eighth largest cable operator in the country, will also offer the NFL RedZone channel to its customers. NFL Network and NFL RedZone will be available through Mediacom in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and surrounding areas in time for the ‘11 NFL season (Mediacom).