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The following week 11-1 New England visits 2-10 Miami. On Monday, ABC will air the 4-8 Bowl between Kansas City and Tennessee. ABC usually has some dog games in December, but this year ranks among its worst. Whichever network gets the Monday night package, it has to come with a flexible schedule. Michaels then looks to the sky and put his hands together. I'm old enough now where nothing surprises me." "If you told me the NFL would be in Charlotte, Jacksonville and Nashville, but not in Los Angeles, I'd say you were crazy a few years ago. "If it's not on ABC, then it ceases to be `Monday Night Football.'"Ī new contract would allow ABC to celebrate the 40th anniversary for "Monday Night Football." But Michaels knows it is not a sure thing until the deal is signed. "ABC made `Monday Night Football' into a signature event," Gaudelli says. Producer Fred Gaudelli says he hopes the tradition continues. George Bodenheimer, the head of ABC Sports and ESPN, is confident his networks will keep the Monday night package for ABC and the Sunday night one for ESPN. Whether NBC makes a bold move remains to be seen. Michaels recalls how NBC made a strong play in 1998. Getting back with the NFL could provide a nice jump start.
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Life hasn't been as rosy in the ratings for NBC since "Friends" and "Frasier" signed off. The network could make a run at MNF to build its own momentum. NBC, though, could be thinking the same way. Why quell that momentum by losing `Monday Night Football?'" "It's great to have company," Michaels says. Louis game finished eighth in the latest ratings. ABC, which has struggled in recent years, now has prime-time shows in the ratings Top 10 besides MNF the Nov. "Desperate Housewives" and ABC's other new prime-time hit, "Lost," actually might help the network retain the games. While MNF's "Desperate Housewives" stunt with Terrell Owens elicited a huge controversy, guess which show won the primetime ratings for the week? A hint: It features the actress who dropped the towel. That's why you see so many promos for "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "The Simpsons." The value is in the amount of viewers it brings to the networks. The NFL, however, always has been a money loser for the big guys. ABC is looking at a substantial hike from its current annual layout of $550 million if it decides to renew. The network reportedly is losing between $100 million-$150 million per year on its Monday night deal. Those numbers have the ABC accountants working overtime. The new contracts represent a 27-percent increase, a figure the NFL expects to match on Monday nights. CBS will pay an average of $622 million per year for the AFC, while Fox shells out $712 million for the NFC.
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Fox and CBS recently cracked open their vaults in renewing their Sunday coverage with the NFL through 2011. "There's always a tremendous sense of relief when a new deal is signed," says play-by-play man Al Michaels, who has been through a few of these exercises.Īs always it will come down to money. While the network is considered the favorite to retain the package, there's enough uncertainty to keep the production crew and announcers nervous. But there's a chance the link could be broken.Īre you ready for some "Monday Night Football" on another network?ĪBC's deal with the NFL expires after next season. Do not duplicate in any form without permission.Cosell remains the link in the 35-year marriage between "Monday Night Football" and ABC.