WKU Football: Conference USA, NFL Network Agree to Four-Year Broadcast Deal
CBSSports.com’s Barrett Sallee announced on Monday that the NFL Network and Conference USA have agreed to a four-year broadcasting deal.
CBSSports.com’s Barrett Sallee announced on Monday that the NFL Network and Conference USA have agreed to a four-year broadcasting deal.
The NFL Network doesn’t have a large history with broadcasting college events, but they do have a long one — they showed the 2006 Insight Bowl, Nebraska’s 2007 Spring Game and the Senior Bowl on an annual basis. Recently, NFLN was part of the AAF’s wide broadcast package.
As of 2015, the NFL Network is reached in 71,867,000 homes and services several outlets for online streaming (though, like CBS Sports Network, doesn’t offer Xfinity, which impacts people like me).
In the conference’s official statement, they same games will be available through the NFL app and the Watch NFL Network apps.
While it’s obviously a huge step up from a broadcast service like beIN, there’s still (initially, at least) a lot to be desired from a fan’s perspective. While 10 games is great, it leaves a bit more to be desired. However, with that comes, I assume, a regular time for what (I also assume) will be the unofficial CUSA Game of the Week. So viewers know, at 3:30 p.m. (or whatever the case is) that NFL Network will show the best matchup of the conference that week.
The league says the full schedule will be announced with the rest of the broadcast schedule “at a later date.”
With TV not yet announced for the Louisville game, I wonder if that’ll mark WKU’s first NFLN appearance, what with an in-state game at an NFL stadium. The only other games I could even think would make that cut would be Army/UTSA, Texas/Rice and maybe, maybe North Texas Cal?
Sept. 28 might see the Tops appear, hosting UAB, but that’ll assume the league doesn’t want La Tech/Rice or Marshall hosting Cincinnati.
Oct. 12 sees Army come to Bowling Green, which could make for a fun national broadcast, unless the league would rather showcase North Texas at Southern Miss (and I don’t think I’d blame them).
The real test of this deal/the conference will be with the Moonshine Throwdown and 100 Miles of Hate games. Will the league push for the Throwdown over games like FAU/ODU? Or 100MOH over UAB/North Texas?
While a 10-game deal, the announcement didn’t specify that each game would be a conference game (allowing for a matchup like the WKU/Louisville one) nor does it say there’s any limit to how often a team can be shown (so WKU/Louisville, the Throwdown and 100MOH could, theoretically, all be shown).
We’ll know more about how this deal will work, and what it looks like compared to the other options for TV, soon, but for the time being, it’s a great step for more visibility for WKU and the rest of the conference.