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NFL Gives Fox Appealing Matchups For New "TNF" Schedule

Fox' slate should get a boost from a Tom Brady-Andrew Luck matchup in Octobergetty images

Fox Sports President Eric Shanks is enthused by the "TNF" schedule it has in its first year broadcasting the primetime package, calling it “greatly improved” from previous years. The NFL officially released the '18 schedule Thursday night, and Shanks said, “We had two goals with our schedule -- improve the quality of ‘Thursday Night Football,’ and maintain the strength of the (Sunday) 4:25 games. The NFL worked hard to make that happen.” Fox Sports told the NFL that it was willing to move some of its late Sunday games to "TNF" in order to make the schedule stronger. Shanks pointed to Fox’ first "TNF" game -- Vikings-Rams -- as an example of the type of game that could anchor its Sunday national window time slot. Shanks said this strategy did not hurt the 4:25pm schedule. He said, “We look at Fox’ NFL schedule in total, not as a distinct Thursday and a distinct Sunday schedule. We have balance across the board.” As an example, Shanks referenced the Cowboys and Packers, two teams that consistently draw high ratings. Fox last year carried nine games from each team. This year, it is up to 10 each, including “TNF.” Fox’ overall schedule includes 35 NFC divisional games. “There’s more depth overall to the Fox package,” Shanks said. Fox will produce 113 regular-season games this season (John Ourand, Staff Writer).

SPREADING THE GOODS AROUND: NFL VP/Broadcasting & Media Operations Howard Katz said, “Here was the trick for us as a group: Could we populate the Thursday night Fox schedule with at least a handful of games that would otherwise be Fox doubleheader games? And still leave Fox with enough quality doubleheader games? And still be able to take a handful of Fox games and put them on CBS?” THE MMQB's Peter King wrote Fox "had to be popping champagne" when it saw the schedule, as fans and execs have "never seen a TV schedule on Thursday as potentially good as this one." There is "no doubt the NFL wanted to make the Thursday package stronger to boost Fox." Its 11 games "look markedly better than the JV slate the NFL used to put on Thursdays." Some of the QB matchups include Andrew Luck-Tom Brady, Cam Newton-Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers-Russell Wilson. That is "incredible for a non-Sunday-night slate" (SI.com, 4/19).

STRONG AT FIRST GLANCE: Fox' Joe Buck called the "TNF" schedule "fantastic" and said, "It's all that Fox could have hoped for." Buck: "You look at the entire package, there isn't one that you look at and go, 'I don't know about that.' Every game I see has a storyline, at least as we sit here in April. ... You look at the schedule, you start to salivate for what's out there." NFL Network's Steve Mariucci noted the net is working with Fox on "TNF" games and said, "Oh my God, this is the best schedule we've ever had" ("NFL Schedule Release Show," NFL Network, 4/19). ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert named Fox one of the "winners" of the schedule release, as the NFL "took care of its newest prime-time partner with a Thursday night schedule that looks awfully competitive on paper." Eight of the 11 games "feature at least one" '17 playoff team (ESPN.com, 4/19). In L.A., Sam Farmer notes Fox "will get some high-quality inventory" on Thursdays, including Vikings-Rams and Saints-Cowboys (L.A. TIMES, 4/20).

ESPN DID NOT GET SHORTCHANGED: THE ATHLETIC's Richard Deitsch reports a big question ahead of Thursday's schedule release was "what kind of slate ESPN would get" for "MNF," as the company’s "frosty relationship with the NFL has been chronicled over the past year." The schedule is "objectively better than years past -- at least on paper" -- as ESPN has a "number of games with excellent viewership potential." ESPN Exec VP/Programming & Scheduling Burke Magnus: "I like it pretty much from top to bottom. I think it is very good based on the last several years." Magnus was "overjoyed when he learned" the net was getting Rams-Raiders as the nightcap to their Week 1 "MNF" doubleheader. He said that the net "loved the idea of getting Jon Gruden’s first game back coaching in the NFL" after spending nine years as the "MNF" analyst. Magnus: "The game had several angles to it. There is a curiosity factor to Jon’s return to football after so many years, it’s a good team, it’s a really good opponent" (THEATHLETIC.com, 4/20).

TOOTING HIS OWN HORN: NBCSN's Mike Florio notes the “SNF” schedule has some "very good games as usual." Florio, who is part of the "SNF" pregame show, said, "This isn't because the league is doing NBC a favor. There's a very simple reason for this. The league understands that the games played on broadcast TV ... gather a bigger audience. So if you want maximum attention, maximum eyeballs on the product, if you want the ratings to be as high as they possibly can ... the goal is to have the highest possible ratings” (“PFT,” NBCSN, 4/20).

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