| NFL on TNT | |
|---|---|
 NFL on TNT logo used from 1993 to 1997. | |
| Also known as | TNT Sunday Night Football |
| Presented by | Fred Hickman Bob Neal Vince Cellini |
| Starring | Skip Caray Gary Bender Verne Lundquist Pat Haden Mark May Craig Sager Bryan Burwell |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 180 minutes |
| Production company | Turner Sports |
| Original release | |
| Network | TNT |
| Release | September 9, 1990 (1990-09-09) – October 26, 1997 (1997-10-26) |
| Related | |
| ESPN Sunday Night Football | |
TNT Sunday Night Football also known asNFL on TNT is the name for the series ofNational Football League (NFL) broadcasts on Sundays produced byTurner Sports forTNT.
TNT aired NFL games on Sunday nights from September 9, 1990 to October 26, 1997 and served as one of the NFL's two cable television partners during that time withESPN. TNT carried games during the first half of the NFL season, and ESPN aired games during the second half of the season. In deference to theWorld Series, TNT's game that weekend would instead be played on Thursday night.
TNT's contract with the NFL coincided with the expansion of the NFL's Sunday night scheduling to encompass the entire season, as opposed to the occasional matchups the NFL scheduled beginning in 1987.[1] The contract in force at the time split the Sunday night telecasts between TNT and ESPN, who had originally had the rights to the Sunday night slate of games when they were limited to late season matchups. TNT carried Sunday night games for the first half of the NFL season, with ESPN taking over afterwards. TNT would also air any Thursday night NFL matchups that were scheduled during the first half of the season, with ESPN taking any in the second half. During this period,Major League Baseball (MLB) would typically hold Game 2 of theWorld Series on a Sunday night, and in deference the NFL would schedule TNT's game that weekend for Thursday instead.
As has always been the case for cable NFL broadcasts, TNT did not have exclusive rights to the broadcasts. As such, any game airing on TNT wassimulcast on regularover-the-air television stations in each participating team's local market so that households without cable television could still see the telecasts. In the Atlanta area, any TNT game involving the Falcons was simulcast on co-ownedWTBS channel 17, which was the local version of TBS.
ESPN anchorChris Berman referred to TNT's football programming by its original "Nitro" brand,[2] even after TNT abandoned that moniker. (This is not to be confused with the professional wrestling show calledWCW Monday Nitro.)
It does not appear that TNT's coverage ever used the titleSunday Night Football, and indeed ESPN filed for atrademark on that title in1996 (the trademark was later assigned to the NFL, allowing for its eventual use byNBC).[3]
The last game was aired on October 26,1997. Fittingly, one of the teams involved was theAtlanta Falcons, based in the home city ofTurner Broadcasting -Atlanta,Georgia (theyplayed at theirdivision rivals, theCarolina Panthers, located upInterstate 85 inCharlotte, North Carolina). Unlike theBraves,Hawks andThrashers, however,Ted Turner never owned the Falcons at any point in time (due to NFL ownership rules).
TNT had a one-hour studiopregame show, titledThe Stadium Show,[4] from 1990 to1994. In1995, this was reduced to a half-hour and retitledPro Football Tonight,[5] running through 1997.Fred Hickman was one of the studio hosts during this time, andMark May was one of the studio analysts before moving to the booth for the final season.
The Sunday night TNT halftime show was the first major network NFL broadcast to utilize a player statistics "crawl" at the bottom of the screen. WithFantasy Football in its early stages of popularity, and the internet not being readily available to the general public, this was the only way for most fans to get updated Sunday player stats without waiting until the 11:00 p.m. or midnight sports highlight shows onCNN andESPN. However, in the second half of the NFL season when ESPN would broadcast Sunday night games, Fantasy Football fans would be disappointed since ESPN did not provide the same detailed crawl during their halftime show.
In addition to the Sunday night games, TNT also presented an annual special,Super Bowl Television. The program, which aired on Friday and Saturday night, mixed a preview of that season's game with entertainment segments.Ernie Johnson hosted the show from theSuper Bowl host city.
TNT lost their rights to the NFL following the1997 season after ESPN chose to bid on the entire regular season package beginning in1998. In the wake of the loss of NFL rights, TNT began negotiations withNBC Sports to start a new football league;[6] TNT eventually backed out of the proposal.[7] (NBC's proposed league eventually became theXFL.) TNT would not air professional football again until signing on as a broadcast partner with theAlliance of American Football (AAF) in2019.[8]
| Preceded by | NFL Sunday Night Football broadcaster (1st half of season) 1990–1997 With:ESPN (2nd half of season) | Succeeded by |