NFL

- Saturday and Sunday Editions of Countdown and Matchup during NFL Playoffs
- Two-Hour SportsCenter Special Sunday Night at 9 p.m. to Recap Weekend Games

ESPN Finishes Strong with Most-Viewed Quarter & Month 209 Million People Watched ESPN Networks in 4th Quarter Monday Night Football Provides Year's Biggest Audiences

January 8, 2008 -- ESPN2 and ESPNEWS posted their most-viewed year in 2007 and ESPN finished strong, with the fourth quarter registering as its most-viewed quarter in history and December was its most-viewed month.    » read more »

Urge Commissioner to Make Games Broadly Available to TV Viewers

Washington, D.C. -- December 19, 2007 -- U.S. Senator Arlen Specter, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Chairman Patrick Leahy today sent a letter to National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell regarding the NFL Network. The letter questions the League’s justification for restricting the distribution of game programming. The Senators urge the Commissioner to take prompt action to make games more broadly available than solely on the NFL Network.    » read more »

12/18/2007 -- Vermont's congressional delegation asked the National Football League to broadcast the Dec. 29 New England Patriots-New York Giants game in Vermont. The season finale may be seen in Boston and New York for free, but not in most of Vermont, where fans are caught in the middle of a fight between the football league and cable television industry. “What we now have are two very powerful and wealthy special interests, the NFL and the cable companies, squabbling over who is going to be making more money out of this game,” Sanders said.    » read more »

Tells Both Parties His Offer Still Stands

12/18/2007 -- WASHINGTON DC – Senator John Kerry sent a letter to National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell and cable executives from Time Warner and Comcast today, regarding their reluctance to come to Washington and reach an agreement that would broaden access to the December 29th Patriots-Giants game.    » read more »

Citing Urgency, Kerry Aims to Broker a Deal

12/12/2007 -- WASHINGTON DC – Senator John Kerry sent a letter to National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell and to cable executives from Time Warner and Comcast today, asking them to meet with Kerry next week. Kerry is inviting the executives to Washington with the goal of brokering a deal between the League and the cable companies, over how to ensure that a maximum number of viewers are able to watch the December 29th game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots.    » read more »

11 December 2007, Washington (By Mary Morningstar) -- Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers have been chosen to perform the half-time show at the NFL's championship Super Bowl game on February 3.

The Super Bowl will be played at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona.

Previous half-time entertainers include the Rolling Stones, Prince, Paul McCartney, Diana Ross, Sting and Phil Collins.

Source: VOANews.com

In Historic Patriots' Season, Kerry Advocates to Provide Access to Fans

12/06/2007 -- WASHINGTON DC – Senator John Kerry sent a letter to National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell and President and CEO of National Cable & Telecommunications Association Kyle McSlarrow today, asking them to break the deadlock in negotiations between the League and several major cable companies over how football games on the NFL network are broadcast.    » read more »

Commission has no authority over cable system content or rates

November 29, 2007 -- The Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) is advising National Football League fans that it cannot help them obtain cable television access to the NFL Network.    » read more »

November 15, 2007 -- Sunday NFL Countdown Presented by IBM featuring Chris Berman, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson and Emmitt Smith will preview all the day’s NFL games Sunday at 11 a.m. ET. Chris Mortensen will provide headlines and league news, and Steve Young will contribute his weekly Sunday opinion segment, “Young is Restless.”

The pre-game show will include reports from Sal Paolantonio covering the Chiefs at Colts game; Bob Holtzman in Green Bay covering the Panthers against the Packers, and Ed Werder in Dallas for the Redskins at Cowboys. Planned features:    » read more »

Mom to Reveal Her Baby's Name Monday, Live, on "The View"

Monday, November 12, 2007 -- On Friday, Nov. 9 at 7:56 AM (Mountain Time), 30-year-old Elisabeth Hasselbeck, a co-host of ABC Daytime's "The View" and her husband, NFL Quarterback Tim Hasselbeck, welcomed the birth of their second child, a son, in a local Arizona hospital. The baby weighs 7 pounds 15 ounces. The couple have been married for five years. Mrs. Hasselbeck announced her pregnancy April 30 on "The View."    » read more »

November 9, 2007 -- With the final race of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season in their windshields, drivers Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon will appear during halftime of ESPN’s Monday Night Football game between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers. The NFL football game airs Monday, Nov. 12, at 8:30 p.m. ET.

The Hendrick Motorsports teammates will battle for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup title in the Ford 400 at Florida’s Homestead-Miami Speedway, the last race in the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. The race airs Sunday, Nov. 18, at 3 p.m. on ABC.    » read more »

November 8, 2007 -- Sunday NFL Countdown Presented by IBM featuring Chris Berman, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson and Emmitt Smith will preview all the day’s NFL games Sunday at 11 a.m. ET. Chris Mortensen will provide headlines and league news, and Steve Young will contribute his weekly Sunday opinion segment, “Young is Restless.”

The pre-game show will include reports from Sal Paolantonio covering the Cowboys at Giants game and Ed Werder in Pittsburgh for the Browns at Steelers. Planned features:

Marion Barber    » read more »

05 November 2007, Indianapolis (By Parke Brewer) -- This season's only two remaining undefeated National Football League (NFL) teams met on Sunday in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the New England Patriots knocked off the home team Indianapolis Colts, 24-20. VOA Sports Editor Parke Brewer was at the match and has a report.

This was one of the most anticipated NFL regular season games in years and it lived up to expectations. The reigning Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts came in at 7-0 and the visiting New England Patriots at 8-0.    » read more »

ESPN.com NFL Content: 44 Million Page Views, Up 36% FROM 2006

October 31, 2007 -- Monday night’s Green Bay Packers – Denver Broncos game on ESPN’s Monday Night Football earned a 10.5 rating, ESPN’s best of the year, representing an average of 10,163,000 homes, the most of any cable television show in 2007.    » read more »