NFL looks to grow its turf
Extra game would increase TV ad dollars
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But not all the parties are following the same playbook.
Growing the regular season from 16 to 17 games while cutting the number of far-less-desirable pre-season contests from four to three would funnel more money into the NFL's coffers, says sports consultant Neal Pilson. He notes some of that cash could be used to satisfy the players, whose demands have caused owners to issue a no-confidence vote in the collective-bargaining agreement.
The first step would be to get the union to sign off on the extra game strategy, in exchange for a piece of the extra license fees from CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN and the NFL Network.
But negotiations with broadcast and cable TV might prove difficult, says David Carter, director of USC's Sports Business Institute.
If the NFL season gets pushed up a week to accommodate the extra game -- to the Sunday before Labor Day -- it would be of less value to the nets because viewing levels drop over the Labor Day weekend.
However, if the game gets played at the end of the year, shrinking the traditional two weeks between the League Championships and the Super Bowl to one week, the extra game could wind up with real playoff implications.
In that case, the NFL would look to charge each network a license fee that could start at $50 million for that one game.
