Fox Close to Deal to Air NFL’s ‘Thursday Night Football’
- Network bids tops $45 million per game CBS, NBC paid last year
- Move signals strategic direction following deal with Disney
Free safety Tyrann Mathieu of the Arizona Cardinals walks back to the locker room after the Thursday Night Football game against the Seattle Seahawks at University of Phoenix Stadium in Nov. 2017.
Photographer: Norm Hall/Getty Images
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21st Century Fox Inc. is close to a deal for the rights to “Thursday Night Football,” according to people familiar with the matter, betting that adding NFL games to its prime-time schedule will boost viewership despite the league’s recent decline in the ratings.
The company submitted a bid that’s higher than the $45 million a game CBS and NBC agreed to pay last year, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private information. The deal hasn’t been finalized and could still fall apart.