The NFL Network cable wars will continue over the coming months, and possibly years, but the league has called a timeout for the Patriots' historic pursuit of a 16-0 regular season.
It's just been announced that NBC and CBS will carry the NFL Network's broadcast of the Giants-Patriots game Saturday night. 
Needless to say, this is a good move by the league with the best public relations department in the history of pro sports. They are entitled to push their network on the cable companies and try to force said companies to put NFL Network on the basic cable package. But until that dispute is resolved, it makes perfect sense for the league not to hold fans hostage to those negotiations when it comes to the Patriots' history-making situation.
Neil Best will give you more details, but I just wanted to let you know it was happening. Here are some details from a press release just sent out from NBC:
NEW YORK – Dec. 26, 2007 – The NFL has arranged with broadcast television partners NBC and CBS for an unprecedented three-way national simulcast of the NFL Network telecast of Saturday night's New England Patriots at New York Giants game when the Patriots will try to become the first NFL team to go 16-0 in a regular season, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced today.
"We have taken this extraordinary step because it is in the best interest of our fans," Commissioner Goodell said. "What we have seen for the past year is a very strong consumer demand for NFL Network. We appreciate CBS and NBC delivering the NFL Network telecast on Saturday night to the broad audience that deserves to see this potentially historic game. Our commitment to the NFL Network is stronger than ever."
DICK EBERSOL, Chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics said: "We're happy to accommodate the NFL's request for a joint national simulcast of this potentially historic game to make it available to the widest possible audience. We are proud to be part of the first joint simulcast, with the NFL Network and CBS, of an NFL game since Super Bowl I with CBS."
NBC and CBS will carry the NFL Network feed of the game with their regular announce team of Bryant Gumbal and NBC Football Night in America's Cris Collinsworth in the broadcast booth. The game also will be televised by WCVB-ABC (Channel 5) in Boston, WMUR-ABC in Manchester (Channel 9) and WWOR (Channel 9) in New York. The telecast begins at 8 p.m. ET with kickoff set at 8:15 p.m. ET.
This will be the first three-network simulcast in NFL history and the first simulcast of any kind of an NFL game since Super Bowl I in 1967 when CBS and NBC both televised the first meeting of the champions of the newly merged National Football League and American Football League.
CBS was the network partner of the NFL at that time and NBC televised the AFL. In that first Super Bowl - in which the NFL Green Bay Packers beat the AFL Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on January 15, 1967 - Ray Scott, Jack Whitaker and Frank Gifford called the game for CBS while Curt Gowdy and Paul Christman broadcast the game on NBC."
Comments (4)
You gotta love a person or organization that creates a 'problem' and then, later, corrects the issue and takes credit for being sensitive, insightful, and responsive.
Ahhhh, there wouldn't have been anything to correct if you hadn't created the issue in the first place... duh.
The best part of this is that Bryant Gumbal will now have a chance to embarrass himself on the largest stage ever for an NFL regular season game.
What's the over under for Gumbal miscues? 10,20?
I think many people who have not heard him call a game yet will be turning the mute button on and asking their friends/ family if that announcer is for real or if his voice/lack of enthusiasm is a joke?
Yes, the entire country will get to hear Bryant G. and see why every media critic in this great land of ours is calling for his ouster.