After years of being on the BBC, the National Football League (NFL) has a new free-to-air television home in the U.K. and Ireland following a a three-year partnership with broadcaster ITV.
Sports presenter Laura Woods will join analysts Osi Umenyiora, a two-time Super Bowl winner, and Jason Bell when ITV kicks off its coverage on Sept. 9 with the first in a series of hour-long weekly shows. The 2022 NFL season kicks off the previous night when defending champions Los Angeles Rams take on the Buffalo Bills.
ITV will air the climax of the season, Super Bowl LVII, live from Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 12, 2022 as well as two of the season’s three London Games. The New York Giants will face the Green Bay Packers at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Oct. 9, before the Jacksonville Jaguars host the Denver Broncos at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 30.
The partnership marks the NFL’s return to ITV for the first time since the network aired the last of its three consecutive Super Bowls in 2007. The NFL is also available on Comcast’s pay TV service Sky.
Niall Sloane, ITV director of sport, said: “This deal will bring to ITV viewers the very best of the NFL each week in our highlights shows throughout the season as well as key live games. We’re delighted to be able to offer viewers, free to air, across our channels as well as the ITV Hub, the unique spectacle and action the NFL brings.”
Henry Hodgson, MD, NFL U.K., added: “This is another significant milestone for the NFL in this country. We have enjoyed seven fantastic years of NFL coverage on BBC TV and the time is right to take advantage of the opportunities offered by a new partnership with ITV. When you look at the development of the NFL in the U.K. in recent years — with momentum behind fan growth, more London games, successful British players in the NFL, the launch of an Academy and a charitable foundation — this announcement is another sign of our ambition to grow and develop the sport in the U.K.”
The weekly ITV show will focus on providing NFL fans with updates heading into each weekend of NFL games. The show will also be repeated on Saturdays on ITV4 and will be available on ITV Hub. ITV’s NFL programming will also be broadcast on STV in Scotland and Virgin Media in Ireland, while all programming will be available on demand on ITV Hub, ITV Hub+, STV Player and VM Player.