Notre Dame and NBC Sports on Thursday announced a renewal of their football media rights deal for 10 more years through '25. The renewal begins with the '16 season and extends the partnership, which began in '91, to 35 years. NBC will retain multiplatform rights to a minimum of seven home games per year, with the vast majority airing on the broadcast TV network. Some games could air on NBC Sports Network, and NBC Sports Digital will continue to live stream games (NBC). Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick said, "We're interested in helping build the NBC Sports Network. It's a really great partner for us, as you can see in the number of shows we've distributed through it in the past year -- shows that we've been responsible in creating. So we don't have any reluctance to have that happen." In South Bend, Eric Hansen reports the new deal allows both parties to "add an additional night game at Notre Dame Stadium every other year, beginning in 2016." Notre Dame currently is "committed to playing two night games a season for NBC -- one at ND Stadium and another in its off-site home game or Shamrock Series matchup." This year's Shamrock Series game is against Arizona State on Oct. 5 at Cowboys Stadium. The deal "does not necessarily mean the Shamrock Series concept will continue through at least 2025, but Swarbrick doesn't anticipate an end to it anytime soon." Meanwhile, the extension "supports one of the three pillars that make ND's continuing football independence possible" (SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE, 4/19).
