According to a report by John Ourand of Sports Business Journal, the USFL inaugural game between the New Jersey Generals and Birmingham Stallions will be simulcast on both Fox and NBC. The April 16th game will be played at Protective Stadium starting at 7:30 pm ET. Tickets for the game were briefly listed on Ticketmaster yesterday.
“NBC Sports will produce pregame, halftime and postgame shows; Fox Sports will handle the game coverage. The same commercials will run across both networks. “
This is not the first simulcast in football history. It has happened before, but a long time ago.
“The networks say that this game will mark the first scheduled competition to air on competing broadcast networks since Super Bowl I, which was 55 years ago.”
This is a HUGE deal for the USFL and shows the power of spring football. Out of the top 100 shows on Television in 2021, 75 were NFL football games. Knowing that fact, it is no surprise two networks would want to cover the first USFL game.
Clearly, Fox Sports and NBC’s TV deal with the USFL is much greater than anything the AAF did in its time. This is a great way to kick start the 2022 USFL season and build fan interest. Because of its uniqueness in our modern times, this will generate a lot of buzz before kick-off.
For the 2022 USFL season, Fox and NBC will split broadcasting 22 games each. Fox will have 14 games on their flagship network, with eight on FS1. NBC will carry nine on its flagship network, nine on USA Network, and four on its streaming service, Peacock.
Tune in to Fox or NBC for coverage of the first USFL game on April 16th at 7:30 pm ET.
Tripp
January 27, 2022 at 3:17 am
It’s the first simulcast of football since 2007 Giants/Pats finale where NE was going for 16-0