The NFL American football league has opened up a new window for its International Series games in London with the Atlanta Falcons’ clash against the Detroit Lions scheduled to kick-off at 1:30pm GMT, providing a 9:30am ET game in the US.
The move creates a fourth game window on an NFL Sunday for the first time while potentially allowing for a greater global television audience through the provision of an earlier kick-off.
The Falcons will host the Lions on October 26, with the International Series at Wembley Stadium expanding to three games in 2014.
“We are excited about playing three regular-season games in the UK for the first time and debuting a new game time that we expect to be a hit with fans on both sides of the Atlantic and around the world,” Mark Waller, NFL chief marketing officer, said.
The NFL’s other 2014 International Series games see the Oakland Raiders host the Miami Dolphins at 6pm GMT (1pm ET) on September 28, while the Jacksonville Jaguars take on the Dallas Cowboys at the same time on November 9.
The Wembley games have traditionally started at the same time as the 1pm kickoffs in the US.
