NBC and CBS will be splitting Thursday Night Football games beginning next season. The networks will also ensure that more of the games are nationally televised, instead of only on the NFL Network outside local markets.
CBS and NBC get five TNF games each, starting with the 2016 season and continuing into 2017, the NFL said on Feb. 1. This means that two more games will be nationally broadcast, instead of just eight as there were in 2015 and 2015. The remaining TNF games will be broadcast on the NFL Network.
CBS, which had exclusive rights to TNF for the past two seasons, will air the first five games and will again get to use the games to launch its 2016-2017 TV season. NBC will then get the second group of five games.
The NFL also said that it is in talks with possible digital providers about streaming TNF games and a deal should be announced soon.
The news comes as the NFL prepares for Super Bowl 50, between the Broncos and Panthers, on Feb. 7.