CBS To Air Eight Thursday Night NFL Games Next Season

CBS has announced that big changes are coming to Thursday night during the 2014 NFL season. For the past several years Thursday Night Football has been exclusively broadcast on The NFL Network. According to an article on the CBS Sports website, they will broadcast half of the 16 Thursday night games. Mike Mayock and Brad Nessler have called the games for the past 3 years. Now CBS broadcasters Phil Simms and Jim Nantz will take over broadcasting responsibilities. Although CBS will only be showing 8 of the 16 games, Nantz and Simms will call all of them. The 8 games that CBS will carry will also be simulcast on the NFL Network. The other 8 games will be aired on the NFL Network only.

According to CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus:

The NFL is the most powerful programming in television. To add a primetime NFL package to our successful Sunday AFC package further strengthens our position in the sports marketplace. We look forward to having Jim and Phil and our top production team showcased in prime time on Thursday nights.

NFL Football commissioner Roger Goodell is excited about the deal. This arrangement is somewhat experimental since it's only in place for the 2014 season, however they do have the option to extend it. The way we watch the NFL is changing and it's pretty exciting. Next to ESPN, CBS is quickly becoming a powerhouse sports network. They already have rights to NCAA Basketball.