SportBusiness.com

HIGH FIVE FOR NFL

Five in the UK will continue its long-running relationship with the National Football League (NFL) with live coverage of Sunday and Monday Night Football after a new two-year deal was agreed.

In addition to the live action, Five is to show a regular weekly programme and will delve into the NFL archive to bring viewers memorable games and moments from previous years.

UK fans will be able to watch the Monday night action live each week at 2 am from September 13.

As part of the two-year deal, Five - which is entering its eighth year of NFL coverage - will air live games on Sunday nights during the second half of the season.

It will continue to screen highlights from around the league prior to its screening of Monday Night Football. In the opening half of the season, the Sunday night games will be shown in full in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

“The UK is a priority market for the NFL and we continue to see encouraging signs of growth in many areas,” said Alistair Kirkwood, NFL Europe vice-president of strategic planning.

“Two million people watched Super Bowl live last year and the interest in the sport has enabled us to look very seriously at bringing an NFL game back to Britain when the new Wembley Stadium opens – possibly a regular season game.”