The NFL partners with six broadcasters: CBS, Fox, NBC, NFL Network, ESPN, and Prime Video. Each network competes for the most exciting matchups to attract the largest audience. The league strategically schedules key games for prime viewing times, including Thursday, Sunday, and Monday nights, and the late Sunday afternoon slot. The reigning Super Bowl champion traditionally hosts the season’s opening game on Thursday night.
The NFL reserves its top matchups for primetime, maximizing exposure for its biggest games. These include Thursday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, and the late afternoon Sunday games. The league often schedules the Super Bowl champion to host the kickoff game on Thursday night to start the new season.
This season introduces a unique Week 16 schedule with two Saturday games. NBC will broadcast a game at 1:00 p.m. ET, followed by a Fox broadcast at 4:30 p.m. ET. The four teams in these Saturday games will play again on Wednesday, December 25th, against different opponents. These Christmas Day games mark Netflix’s first venture into live NFL game broadcasting.
Week 17 will feature three of the five designated matchups on Saturday, with the remaining two on Sunday. Specific dates and times for these Week 17 games will be announced later in the season. Similarly, Week 18 will have two Saturday games and the rest on Sunday, with specific dates, times, and broadcast networks determined and announced after Week 17 concludes.
Most NFL games are played on Sunday afternoons. Early games kick off at 1:00 p.m. ET, while late games begin at either 4:05 p.m. ET or 4:25 p.m. ET, depending on whether they are part of a network doubleheader. CBS and Fox share the broadcasting responsibilities for Sunday afternoon games. For the second consecutive year, network assignments are not predetermined by conference affiliation, allowing greater scheduling flexibility for CBS and Fox.
Both CBS and Fox will have doubleheader broadcasts, ensuring every market can access four Sunday afternoon games in Weeks 15 and 18. From Weeks 1 through 14 and Weeks 16-17, both Fox and CBS will air eight doubleheaders each. During these weeks, one network will broadcast games in both Sunday afternoon time slots, while the other will air a single game in either the early or late slot. While doubleheader weeks generally alternate between networks, there are exceptions, allowing consecutive doubleheader weeks for one network, but never three in a row.