The NFL formally asked several TV outlets to bid on a package of Thursday night football games that a winning bidder would share with NFL Network. The league last week sent RFPs to its current broadcast partners plus other interested players, like Turner Sports, for a package of games that would start in just eight months. Bids are due by the end of the week. The NFL is auctioning a one-year deal with a bigger TV channel to help build “Thursday Night Football” into the same high-powered brand as "Sunday Night Football," which is the top-rated show in primetime, and "MNF," which is the top-rated show on cable.
It is likely that the NFL will use the one-year deal as a springboard for a longer Thursday night deal. It is not clear how many games the winning network would get or when those games would air, but the NFL is looking for the bids to be up to eight games covering the first half of the season. For the past two years, NFL Network has produced 13 games. The package would only include regular-season games, not playoffs.
