| NFL on ABC | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | Monday Night Football |
| Genre | American football game telecasts |
| Directed by | Artie Kempner |
| Presented by | Scott Van Pelt Mike Greenberg Chris Berman |
| Starring | Ryan Clark Marcus Spears Jason Kelce Adam Schefter Lisa Salters Laura Rutledge Katie George Peter Schrager Russell Yurk Jerry Bergman |
| Narrated by | Joe Buck Troy Aikman Chris Fowler Louis Riddick Dan Orlovsky |
| Opening theme | "Heavy Action" byJohnny Pearson (1976–2006; 2015–present) "In the Air Tonight" byPhil Collins feat.Chris Stapleton,Cindy Blackman Santana andSnoop Dogg (2023–present) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 48 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Norby Williamson |
| Producer | Steve Ackels |
| Production locations | Various NFL stadiums(game telecasts) ESPN Headquarters,Bristol, Connecticut(studio segments) ABC and ESPN Studio,7 Hudson Square,Manhattan,New York City(studio segments) |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 180–210 minutes or until game ends |
| Production companies | ABC Sports (1970–2006) ESPN (2016–present) |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | December 19, 1948 (1948-12-19) – December 24, 1950 (1950-12-24) |
| Release | September 21, 1970 (1970-09-21) – February 5, 2006 (2006-02-05) |
| Release | January 9, 2016 (2016-01-09) – present |
| Related | |
| Monday Night Countdown Monday Night Football NFL on ESPN | |
TheNFL on ABC is the branding used of broadcasts ofNational Football League (NFL) games produced byESPN and aired onABC. Since their first time broadcasting NFL games in 1948, ABC had been a long time broadcast member of the NFL, with the network airingMonday Night Football from 1970 to 2006, playoff games and multiple Super Bowls.
In2006,ESPN took over as the exclusive rights holder toMonday Night Football, and the ABC Sports division was merged intoESPN Inc. by parent companyDisney. Afterward, ABC did not broadcast any game from the NFL, whether exclusive or a simulcast from ESPN, until they simulcasted an NFLWild Card playoff game in2016. ABC would then return toMonday Night Football in2020, when they aired three games as simulcasts from ESPN.
Since 2020, ABC simulcasts or exclusively airs someMonday Night Football games, two Saturday games during Week 18, one Wild Card playoff game, and thePro Bowl in conjunction withESPN. Beginning in 2023, ABC and ESPN will simulcast one divisional playoff game, and both networks will air theSuper Bowl in 2027 and 2031.[1] All games since 2016, whether a simulcast or an exclusive broadcast, have used ESPN branding and graphics.
ABC began television professional football in1948, where the network used a "game of the week" format to broadcast the NFL. Later that year, the network broadcast theNFL Championship Game between theChicago Cardinals atPhiladelphia Eagles withHarry Wismer[2][3][4] providing commentary. The1949 NFL Championship Game between theEagles andLos Angeles Rams in Los Angeles was only made available to viewers on theWest Coast because at the time, there was no way to sendlive TV programs from the West Coast to theEast Coast and vice versa. ABC thefollowing year, would broadcast theplayoff game between theNew York Giants andCleveland Browns. For the1950 NFL Championship Game between the Browns andRams, the game was not televised toChicago, but it was so inLos Angeles.
Beginning in1951, theDuMont network for all intents and purposes, replaced ABC as the NFL's prime network telecaster. However, come1953,[5] ABC was able to sign contracts with theChicago Bears,Chicago Cardinals. They would soon add theWashington Redskins beginning in1954, and come1955, theLos Angeles Rams andSan Francisco 49ers.Red Grange[6] andBill Fay typically called home games for the Bears and Cardinals in Chicago. For Washington Redskins games, ABC usually used the broadcast crew ofBob Wolff[7] andDutch Bergman. In1955, the Redskins left ABC in favor ofsyndicated regional coverage that was sponsored and produced byAmoco Gasoline.
As previously mentioned, also in 1955, ABC picked up games featuring the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers and broadcast them specifically to theiraffiliates in thePacific Time Zone. These games were usually either called by the team ofBob Fouts[8] andFrankie Albert or byBob Kelley and Bill Brundige.[9] ABC also broadcast that year'sThanksgiving Day game between theGreen Bay Packers andDetroit Lions with Harry Wismer andBudd Lynch on the call.
During negotiations on a new television contract that would begin in1970,NFL CommissionerPete Rozelle contacted ABC about signing a weekly Monday night deal. Despite reluctance, ABC would sign a contract for the scheduled games. The firstMonday Night Football game on ABC aired on September 21, 1970, between theNew York Jets andCleveland Browns withHoward Cosell,Keith Jackson andDon Meredith in the broadcast booth. HoweverFrank Gifford would replace Jackson in1971.[10]
In an era with only three televisionbroadcast networks, the series became the longest-running prime-time sports program in television history, and developed into one of television's most valuable franchises.[11][12] The Cosell-Meredith-Gifford dynamic helped makeMonday Night Football a success; it frequently was the number one rated program in theNielsen ratings. The inimitable style of the group (mostly with Cosell, both loved and hated by the public) distinguishedMonday Night Football as a distinct spectacle, and ushered in an era of more colorful broadcasters and24/7 TV sports coverage.[13]
Meredith left for three seasons (1974–1976) to work withCurt Gowdy atNFL on NBC, then returned toMNF partners Gifford and Cosell. In 1974,Fred Williamson was selected by the ABC as a commentator onMonday Night Football to replace Don Meredith. He was relieved of his duties at the beginning of the regular season, becoming the firstMNF personality not to endure for an entire season. He was replaced by the fellow former player (and fellowGary, Indiana, native)Alex Karras. Karras served three years in that role until leaving after the1976 season, with his most memorable comment coming in his first game, when he joked that baldOakland Raiders' linemanOtis Sistrunk, who never attended college, was from "the University of Mars", after seeing steam coming off his head.[14]
Prior to1978, Monday night games were not scheduled in the final week (Week 14) of the regular season. From1974 to1977, a Saturday night game was scheduled for Week 14, and televised live by ABC, in lieu of a game on Monday night.
During a game between theMiami Dolphins andNew England Patriots on December 8, 1980, Cosell broke the news that formerBeatleJohn Lennon had beenshot and killed, news that stunned a nationwide audience.[15]
As part of the renewal of the NFL's television contract in1982, ABC was put in the Super Bowl rotation for the first time, giving it the broadcast rights toSuper Bowl XIX in1985. A second renewal of the television contract gave them the rights toSuper Bowl XXII in1988.[16] Don Meredith retired from sportscasting after the1984 season, a year after Howard Cosell's retirement. His final broadcast was Super Bowl XIX with Frank Gifford andJoe Theismann.
From1983 to1986, ABC also aired a Friday night game in the final week (Week 16) of the regular season, in addition to the normal Monday night game.[10]
During the first half of the September 5, 1983Monday Night Football game between theDallas Cowboys andWashington Redskins, Cosell's commentary on wide receiverAlvin Garrett included "That little monkey gets loose doesn't he?" Cosell's references to Garrett as a "little monkey," ignited a racial controversy that laid the groundwork for Cosell's departure fromMNF at the end of the 1983 season. The Rev.Joseph Lowery, then-president of theSouthern Christian Leadership Conference, denounced Cosell's comment as racist and demanded a public apology. Despite supportive statements byJesse Jackson,Muhammad Ali, and Alvin Garrett himself, the fallout contributed to Cosell's decision to leaveMonday Night Football following the 1983 season.
"I liked Howard Cosell," Garrett said. "I didn't feel that it was a demeaning statement."[17] Cosell explained that Garrett's small stature, and not his race, was the basis for his comment, citing the fact that he had used the term to describe his own grandchildren. Among other evidence to support Cosell's claim is video footage of a1972 preseason game between theNew York Giants and theKansas City Chiefs that features Cosell referring to athleteMike Adamle, a 5-foot, 8-inch, 195-pound Caucasian, as a "little monkey."
On November 18, 1985, Joe Theismann suffered a comminutedcompound fracture of the tibia and fibula in his right leg during asack bylinebackersLawrence Taylor andHarry Carson during aMonday Night Football game between theWashington Redskins and theNew York Giants. TheMonday Night Football announcer team ofFrank Gifford,O. J. Simpson andJoe Namath had correctlyinferred from the start that Taylor was calling for help.[18] While initially only the players on the field could see the extent of the damage to Theismann's leg, the reverse-angle instant replay provided a clearer view of what had actually happened: Theismann's lower leg bones were broken midway between his knee and his ankle, such that his leg from his foot to his mid-shin was lying flat against the ground while the upper part of his shin up to his knee was at a 45-degree angle to the lower part of his leg. ABC's decision to screen the reverse-angle instant replay several times despite its palpably graphic content shocked millions of viewers, although as the replays were shown, Gifford repeatedly urged viewers at home to exercise discretion. The repeated screening of this replay remains to this day one of the most controversial in-game television production decisions in NFL history.
In1986,Al Michaels took over play-by-play duties, and Gifford switched to a color commentator role.[19] However, Gifford did play-by-play for the next several years (Gifford was joined byLynn Swann andO. J. Simpson on color commentary in 1986 and byDan Dierdorf for the rest of his run onMonday Night Football) whenever Michaels was coveringpost-season baseball games for the network.[20]
As previously mentioned, in April 1987, Dan Dierdorf was hired by ABC to join Al Michaels and Frank Gifford onMonday Night Football broadcasts.[21] He spent 12 seasons onMonday Night Football before resigning the post in early 1999.[22]
On October 26,1987,Gary Bender along withLynn Swann called theMonday Night Football game between theDenver Broncos and theMinnesota Vikings. That game had been scheduled for October 25, but when theMinnesota Twins (who at the time, shared theHubert H. Humphrey Metrodome with the Vikings) played Game 7 of theWorld Series that day, the football game was moved to Monday and shown to a regional audience. The game was therefore, only made available to theMinneapolis andDenver markets while the rest of the nation would see the game between theLos Angeles Rams and theCleveland Browns.
As part of the league's television contract renewal with the network in1989, ABC was awarded the television rights toSuper Bowl XXV (at the end of the1990 season) andSuper Bowl XXIX (at the end of the1994 season), as well as one Wild Card game from each conference, during the first Saturday of the NFL playoffs.[10]
From1990 until2005, the package included seventeen (eighteen in1992 and1993) regular season games, the first two wild card playoff games (held on the first Saturday of the playoffs), and at times, theAFC–NFCPro Bowl.[10] Beginning in2003, ABC dropped the Week 17 game in favor of the openingThursday night game, which was part of sister channel ESPN the year before.
Frank Gifford was replaced in the broadcast booth byBoomer Esiason in1998.[23][12][24] That season, he was reassigned to a nominal role for ABC's Monday night pregame show, but the program was cancelled after one season. Gifford was not offered a new role by the network.[25]
Prior to1998,MNF aired at 9:00 p.m.ET. Beginning in 1998 however, the game was moved to an 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff.[10] FormerCincinnati Bengals quarterbackBoomer Esiason replaced Gifford in 1998, and Dan Dierdorf was dropped after that season. Esiason was dismissed after the1999 season due primarily to personal conflicts between him and Al Michaels.
After his time at NBC, producerDon Ohlmeyer was lured out of retirement in 2000 to spark interest and provide some vigor to theMNF broadcast. Besides the on-air talent, Ohlmeyer's changes included clips of players introducing themselves, new graphics, use of a sidelineSteadicam, and music. In another temporary change, thescore bug used nicknames of teams, such as "Skins" and "Fins", instead of the teams' actual names or cities (the Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins, in this instance). He also made the controversial decision to hire comedianDennis Miller to join Al Michaels andDan Fouts[26] in the broadcast booth, an experiment widely regarded in hindsight as a failure.[27][28][29][30]
Ohlmeyer leftMonday Night Football after one season. Ratings for the program had dropped 7% compared to the previous year.[31]
Despite having hired Miller and Fouts for another year, ABC began negotiations with veteran football commentatorJohn Madden. Madden had worked atFox Sports for eight years since the network had won the contract for theNFC Conference games away from CBS in 1994. Since getting the NFL contract, Fox had lost $4.4 billion (losing $387 million due to the contract in 2001 alone), and was looking to cut programming costs.[32] Madden's contract for the next year would cost Fox $8 million so, when ABC was approaching Madden, Fox agreed to let him out of his remaining year on their contract. Despite having been hired for another year, Miller and Fouts were replaced by Madden, who was signed on February 28, 2002, for $5 million a year for four years. (Fouts remained with ABC, being moved to cover college football; Miller was let go.)[32]
The final exclusiveMonday Night Football broadcast on ABC aired on December 26, 2005, when theNew York Jets, who coincidentally played in the firstMNF game, hosted theNew England Patriots. ABC's final NFL telecast as part of theirMonday Night Football contract would beSuper Bowl XL in on February 5, 2006, between theSeattle Seahawks andPittsburgh Steelers. Following the 2005 season,Monday Night Football would move exclusively to ESPN.[10]
As a result of the 1982 television contract signed by the NFL with the three networks,Super Bowl XIX to be televised by ABC, as they earned their first turn at the Super Bowl, with a new alternation process started for the 1983 game. Previously, the Super Bowl telecast alternated betweenCBS andNBC, while the networkssimulcastthe first AFL-NFL World Championship Game.Monday Night Football, happened to be celebrating its 15th season in 1984. Two more ABC-aired Super Bowls would occur during major anniversary seasons forMNF –Super Bowl XXIX (also won by theSan Francisco 49ers) closed out the 25th anniversary season (1994), andSuper Bowl XXXIV (won by theSt. Louis Rams, division rivals of the 49ers) closed out the 30th anniversary season (1999).
Super Bowl XXII was the first with the broadcast team ofAl Michaels,Frank Gifford, andDan Dierdorf in the booth (as the1987 season was the first year the trio was together, with Dierdorf moving to ABC from CBS; Gifford was the only holdover from ABC'sSuper Bowl XIX telecast). The trio went on to man the booth for ABC'sMonday Night Football from 1987 to 1997 and called Super BowlsXXV andXXIX.
ABC did not broadcast the halftime show for Super Bowl XXV live. Instead, they televised a specialABC News report anchored byPeter Jennings on the progress of theGulf War. The halftime show was later shown ontape delay after the game at around 10:40EST, although most ABC affiliates ran the first episode ofDavis Rules following the Super Bowl, and may have televised the remaining parts of the halftime show later.
Brent Musburger hosted all the Super Bowl XXIX pregame (2 hours), halftime, and postgame events with the help of then-ABC Sports analystDick Vermeil, Musburger's regular color commentator on ABC'scollege footballtelecasts, and then-New York Jets quarterbackBoomer Esiason. This would be the final Super Bowl hosted by Musburger, as all subsequent Super Bowls on ABC were hosted byESPN'sChris Berman following theDisney purchase of ABC (which included ESPN), and the subsequent integration of ESPN and ABC Sports (now ESPN on ABC). This was also the last Super Bowl broadcast by theMonday Night Football broadcast team of Michaels, Gifford and Dierdorf.
As previously mentioned, this was the broadcast team forMonday Night Football from1987 to1997. They also worked ABC's coverage of Super BowlsXXII andXXV. This would also be the last Super Bowl aired on ABC until the1999 season (when Al Michaels called the game withBoomer Esiason).Super Bowl XXXIV was the first Super Bowl to be aired inhigh definition and 5.1Dolby Digital.ABC Sports chose to use the720p format.[33]
Super Bowl XXXVII was the first of three major professional sports championship seriesABC broadcast in 2003, as they would also broadcast theStanley Cup Finals and theNBA Finals. Al Michaels handled theplay-by-play duties withcolor commentatorJohn Madden, who became the first person to announce Super Bowls on different networks in consecutive years, having calledSuper Bowl XXXVI onFox and then moving to ABC afterPat Summerall retired.
Although the Super Bowl had largely been presented inhigh definition since Super Bowl XXXIV,Super Bowl XL was the first Super Bowl where all aspects of the game itself were aired in HD.[34]
When the NFL expanded its Wild Card round to include a third team in each conference for the 1990 season, this added two additional playoff games to the slate. As such, ABC was given the rights to the Wild Card matchups aired on Saturday during that weekend. TheMonday Night Football broadcast team would cover the game that the network regarded as the marquee matchup of the two. The other game was initially broadcast by ABC's #2 college football broadcast team ofBrent Musburger andDick Vermeil. Beginning with the 1996 season, the other game was broadcast by ESPN'sSunday Night Football team. Initially consisting ofMike Patrick, andJoe Theismann, the two were joined byPaul Maguire following NBC's loss of broadcast rights in 1998. The lone exception came in 2002, when Musburger returned to call the AFC wild card game in New York with analystGary Danielson.
With the expiration of the television contracts among ABC,CBS,ESPN, and Fox following the2005 season, Super Bowl XL ended up being ABC's final NFL broadcast as a regular NFL broadcaster. Following the game,Monday Night Football moved to corporate siblingESPN under the new CBS, Fox,NBC, ESPN, andNFL Network deal, which also saw ESPN and ABC being removed from the Super Bowl rotation.
Monday Night Football became the second major sports package ABC had lost in a span of three years, as not only did they give up national primetime broadcast television rights to NBC, they also gave up the national broadcast television rights to theNational Hockey League,[35] coincidentally, toNBC a year prior.
In 2006, during that first year ABC did not airMonday Night Football, ABC and ESPN's parent companyDisney decided to integrate theABC Sports division into ESPN. Since then, ABC's sports programming has been produced by ESPN under theESPN on ABC branding.[36][37]
After a cable-only Wild Card playoff game experiment became the least-watched NFL playoff game in 6 years, ESPN announced on May 12, 2015, that beginning with the2015-16 playoffs, ABC would simulcast ESPN's Wild Card game telecast. This would be ABC's first NFL game since Super Bowl XL.[38] This arrangement has continued every year since.
Beginning with the2017 season, ABC added a second regular NFL telecast when it began simulcasting ESPN's coverage of thePro Bowl.[39] Other than the2021 Pro Bowl, which was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, ABC has continued this arrangement every year since.
Since2018, ABC has simulcasted ESPN's coverage of the final day of theNFL Draft. Beginning in2019 and every year since, ABC has aired aCollege GameDay branded version of the Draft on the first two days, separate from ESPN's coverage, replacingFox which simulcastNFL Network's coverage in 2018.[40]
In 2019, during theNFL Scouting Combine, ABC presented a two-hour special that featured drills by quarterbacks and wide receivers. It was the first time the combine was televised on broadcast television.[41]
To celebrate the 50th anniversary ofMonday Night Football, and the NFL's arrival inLas Vegas, with theRaiders' relocation, ESPN announced that their Week 2 game on September 21, 2020, would be simulcast on ABC, the network's firstMNF regular season game since 2005. The game was also simulcast onESPN2, as part of ESPN'sMegacast series. Later on, ABC simulcast two more late-seasonMNF games with ESPN, both involving theBuffalo Bills.[42][43] ABC was also part of ESPN's first ever NFL Playoff Megacast on January 10, 2021. The Megacast saw ABC simulcast ESPN's coverage per usual, with ESPN2,ESPN+, andDisney-ownedFreeform, carrying alternate presentations of the game. The Megacast will continue on during the 2022 playoffs as well.
Before the2021 season, ESPN renewed itsMonday Night Football contract. As part of the contract, ABC would begin to simulcast a Saturday doubleheader on the final weekend of the season with ESPN beginning in 2021. Then beginning in2022, ABC would start to exclusively air an additionalMonday Night Football game, which would then expand to at least three in2023. ESPN also gained the rights to a divisional playoff game starting in 2023, and two future Super Bowls, which would all also be simulcast on ABC.[1][44] ABC would also continue to simulcast ESPN's Wild Card game and thePro Bowl. ESPN also gained rights for their games to be simulcast onESPN+, andMegacast on other ESPN and Disney-owned channels.
For the first year of the new contract, in 2021, ESPN announced that their Week 1 Monday Night Football game, coincidentally in Las Vegas, would be simulcast on ABC. The game was also part of the Megacast series. ABC would also simulcast the Week 14 and Week 15 games, along with the previously mentioned Saturday doubleheader.
In February 2022, ABC then aired the yearlyNFL Honors awards ceremony. The ceremony is usually aired by the same television network airing the Super Bowl, however NBC, the 2022 Super Bowl broadcaster, was instead airing the2022 Winter Olympics.[45]
On March 5, 2022, ABC aired a special edition ofNFL Live, covering theNFL Combine.[46]
For the second year of the contract in 2022, ABC initially announced on April 8, 2022, that its regular Monday night program,Dancing with the Stars, was moving from ABC toDisney+ for one season (it was later announced that it would be returning to ABC starting the following season).[47][48] ABC said the show was moved to allow the network to broadcastMonday Night Football on a more regular basis.[49] ABC was then scheduled for seven regular season games, up from five in 2021. Five of these games aired on Monday nights, up from three in 2021, while the other two were part of the final Saturday doubleheader.[50] While six of these seven games were ESPN simulcasts, as part of the second year of the contract ABC exclusively aired theMinnesota Vikings–Philadelphia Eagles game on September 19, 2022. This was the first exclusive NFL game (not simulcast on ESPN) aired on ABC sinceSuper Bowl XL.[51] As this game was part of a split-network doubleheader, with ESPN airing theTennessee Titans–Buffalo Bills game instead, viewers in the Nashville (Tennessee Titans primary) and Buffalo markets were able to view their teams over-the-air on non-ABC stations.
In 2023, the number of ABC's scheduled regular season games increased from seven to nine. While the ABC/ESPN split-network doubleheaders increased from one to three, the total number of ABC's exclusive games increased to four for this season and 2028 because the network aired the loneMonday Night Football game on December 25 due to ESPN's coverage ofNBA Christmas games. The number of ESPN/ABC simulcasts remained at five, including threeMonday Night Football games and the final Saturday doubleheader. WithNew Year's Day also falling on a Monday, theMonday Night Football game that weekend was instead moved to Saturday, December 30. In addition to the Monday night Wild Card game, this was the first postseason that ABC/ESPN aired a divisional playoff game.[52] On September 18, 2023, ABC announced that due to the2023 Hollywood labor disputes, it would simulcast Monday Night Football every week for the 2023 season. ABC aired 21 games in the2023 NFL season (15 regular season simulcasts, 4 exclusive games, and 2 postseason simulcasts), its most since 2005.[53]
Initially, in the 2024 season, ABC was scheduled to return to its original 2023 schedule, along with the addition of thePro Football Hall of Fame Game due to NBC's coverage of the2024 Summer Olympics. On October 11, 2024, ABC announced it was adding 6 additional Monday Night Football simulcasts for the2024 NFL season. During the 2024 season, ABC aired 18 games (1 preseason game, 12 regular season simulcasts, 3 exclusive regular season games, and 2 postseason simulcasts).[54]
ABC is scheduled to air 17 games during the2025 NFL season (13 regular season simulcasts, 2 exclusive games, and 2 postseason simulcasts). ABC will air Monday Night Football for 11 consecutive weeks from Week 1 to Week 11.[55] The 2025 season is scheduled to be the final year of ABC exclusive games. These games will move toNFL Network, which ESPN is in the process of acquiring, beginning in 2026, assuming regulatory approval. ABC simulcasts will continue.[56]
From1960 until1964, ABC broadcast games from theAmerican Football League[57] (AFL). As part of the deal ABC broadcast approximately 37 regular season games, theAFL Championship Game and theAFL All-Star Game. These games were typically broadcast regionally on 15 consecutive Sundays and on Thanksgiving Day. This became the first ever cooperative television plan for professional football, in which the proceeds of the contract were divided equally among member clubs; the National Football League would follow suit in1961.
From1983 until1985, ABC broadcast games from theUnited States Football League (USFL)[58] As part of the contract ABC televised a Sunday afternoon game-of-the-week, one prime time evening game, plus coverage of the USFL divisional playoffs and championship game.[59] The contract required the USFL to schedule a minimum of three games on Sunday, with ABC guaranteed to broadcast one game nationally (the aforementioned, Sunday afternoon game-of-the-week) or two or more regionally. The contract included no clauses regarding "blackouts" or "cross-feeding". In all, the total package with ABC called for 21 telecasts of USFL action.
In1991 and1992, ABC broadcast select games from theWorld League of American Football (WLAF). These games mostly aired on Sunday afternoons. ABC also aired the1991 World Bowl.
From1998 to2002, ABC broadcast the AFLArenaBowl under theirWide World of Sports umbrella.[60]
In2007 and2008, ABC broadcast one regular season game and theArenaBowl from theArena Football League as part ofESPN on ABC.[61]
In 2020, ABC broadcast games from theXFL. ABC was scheduled to air a weekly Saturday game and four Sunday games. However, because of theCOVID-19 pandemic, only five of the Saturday games and one of the Sunday games ended up being televised.[62]
On May 17, 2022, Disney announced that the XFL would return to ABC when the league returned to play in 2023.[63] In 2023, ABC aired 8 games, including the2023 XFL Championship Game inprimetime.[64][65]
Following the merger of the XFL andUSFL into theUFL, the UFL announced that ABC and ESPN had acquired partial television rights to the league along withFox Sports.[66]
For the2024 UFL season, ABC aired 9 regular season games and one division championship.[67]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)ESPN announces "ESPN on ABC" will become the brand for all sports carried on the ABC Television Network beginning Saturday, Sept. 2.