Fox this season will "offer 'NFL GameDay Prime' Sundays," the weekly show "produced by NFL Network, which will air it simultaneously," at 11:30pm ET to its affiliates, according to sources cited by Brian Steinberg of VARIETY. In a "unique twist, the NFL will sell the national advertising surrounding the program," giving affiliates "their own ad opportunities." Sources said that the NFL "views the agreement as an 'opportunistic' move," and is "not necessarily looking to get into the business of selling commercial time for broadcasts of its games on Fox, CBS, NBC or ESPN." Many local stations "offer a late-Sunday sports highlights program, often a collection of clips curated by a familiar sports anchor." This notion would "add new elements to the concept, because it is produced and sold by one of the leagues whose games are often the basis for those highlights." The arrangement "spotlights the ongoing inroads sports leagues are making with their content," and it "highlights the leverage the NFL continues to wield over its media partners" (VARIETY.com, 8/30).
