NBCU has "enlisted many of its best-known properties to give a nod" to "Thursday Night Football" and "Sunday Night Football" ahead of the NFL season, according to Brian Steinberg of VARIETY. “Today,” “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” “Access Hollywood,” “American’s Got Talent,” “America’s Ninja Warrior” and more are "taking part in promotional efforts to drive awareness" of “SNF” and “TNF” to viewers. NBC Sports CMO Jenny Storms said, "This is a Super Bowl year for us. A lot of what we are doing is prepping and seeding that sort of ‘Road to the Super Bowl’ message." Storms said that last season’s 8% drop in overall NFL viewership "didn’t factor into its marketing efforts." She added that the NBC Sports unit instead "wanted to get its gridiron message out to a broader audience." As part of the plan, “Today,” the “Tonight Show" and “Late Night" are all "dropping hints about the season’s open, whether they come in the form of an Al Roker football weather forecast or late-night promos." Mike Tircio "appeared with hosts on Monday night’s 'American Ninja Warrior.'" NBC Sports also "created a 45-second 'crying PSA' with 'This Is Us' star Milo Ventimiglia encouraging fans to grab tissues, and get ready to ‘ball’ their eyes out" starting tomorrow with NBC’s Chiefs-Patriots “NFL Kickoff.” Meanwhile, “Access Hollywood“ gave viewers a look at the new '17 “SNF” show open and "featured an interview with Carrie Underwood," who sings the open to the show (VARIETY.com, 9/6).
