LOS ANGELES, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- CBS has secured the rights to air eight Thursday-night NFL games in the early part of the next professional football season, Variety reported Wednesday.
The games will be simulcast on NFL Network.
"CBS is a premium content company and the NFL represents the best premium content there is," Leslie Moonves, chief executive of CBS Corp., said in a statement. "I look forward to all this new deal will do for us not only on Thursday nights, but across our entire schedule."
"NFL Network built Thursday into a night for NFL fans," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "Our goal is to bring these games to more fans on broadcast television with unprecedented promotion and visibility for 'Thursday Night Football' on CBS."
Variety said the deal is an important one for CBS because advertisers are eager to pay for air time on Thursdays, which are regarded as one of the best nights to influence consumer behavior for the weekends.
It is unclear what CBS will do with its current Thursday night sitcoms "The Big Bang Theory," "Two and a Half Men," "The Millers" and "The Crazy Ones" during football season, the entertainment industry trade newspaper said.
