June 19 (Bloomberg) -- Notre Dame University and NBC reached a five-year agreement that will keep the school's home football games on the General Electric Co.-owned network through 2015.

The extension provides NBC rights to eight home games annually from 2011-15. Seven games each year will be played at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana, with an additional off-campus home game aired in prime time.

``We have scheduled teams who want to play us at off-site venues because it's great for their programs as well as ours,'' Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins said on a media conference call.

Most schools with a 12-game football schedule have six or seven home games. NBC will broadcast six Irish home games this year.

Notre Dame will have its first off-site home game in 2009, when the Irish play Washington State in San Antonio. The school's future off-campus home games haven't been determined.

Notre Dame's broadcast agreement with NBC began in 1991. While the Irish went 3-9 last season and have lost nine straight bowl games dating back to 1995, NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol said Notre Dame is the ``premier brand'' in college football.

Notre Dame ranks second to Michigan in all-time wins with 824 and has had a record-tying seven Heisman Trophy winners.

``The Notre Dame brand is a brand that's been sustained decade after decade,'' Ebersol said. ``You don't look at it year to year. We're big believers in how Notre Dame has maintained its strength over generations. I don't see that going away.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Matuszewski in New York at matuszewski@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: June 19, 2008 13:08 EDT