The NFL will add two new wild-card teams to its postseason for the 2020 season, bringing the total number of playoff teams to 14. The league announced that CBS and NBC will broadcast the new games, with the network’s affiliated streaming services also showing the games.
The new format will feature one added wild-card team from the AFC and one from the NFC. The wild-card round will consist of three games on Saturday, Jan. 9, and three games on Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. CBS will broadcast the additional game on Jan. 10, and the game will also livestream on CBS All Access, which has streamed NFL games since 2016. Kickoff is planned for approximately 4:40 p.m. ET.
CBS will also produce an alternative broadcast of its new wild-card game to air on Nickelodeon, which is owned by ViacomCBS after CBS and Viacom re-merged into one conglomerate in 2019. The broadcast will be tailored toward a younger audience.
NBC will broadcast its additional wild-card game on Jan. 10, with kickoff scheduled for approximately 8:15 p.m. ET. The game will also broadcast in Spanish on Telemundo and livestream on Peacock, the upcoming streaming service from NBC that’s expected to launch in July.
CBS will reportedly pay the NFL around $70 million for its new playoff game while NBC will pay in the mid-$70 million range, according to John Ourand of Sports Business Journal.
