Nickelodeon will air its second NFL game in the past two seasons on Sunday.
Last season, the children’s network Nickelodeon broadcast its first NFL game between the Saints and the Bears. While CBS acts as the main broadcast, Nickelodeon’s broadcast is more “kid-friendly” and explains the game to children who may not watch football regularly.
This season, Nickelodeon will show the Cowboys vs. 49ers on Sunday, January 16. Here’s more on why the kids’ network is now streaming NFL games and content.
PLUS: Watch 49ers vs. Cowboys live with fuboTV (free trial)
Why does Nickelodeon broadcast NFL games?
Last season, Nickelodeon aired the NFC Wild Card game between the Saints and Bears as an opportunity to introduce young viewers to the NFL. The announcers, CBS’s Noah Eagle, CBS’s Nate Burleson and Nick star Gabrielle Nevaeh Green, help explain what’s going on in the game so young viewers understand. Green often asks questions about what’s going on in the game.
After the success of last season’s game, Nickelodeon and CBS Sports have entered into a partnership ahead of the 2021 season to allow Nickelodeon to air at least one game again. They also hosted a new weekly serious show “NFL Slimetime” that premiered this season.
Regarding the partnership, Nickelodeon Chairman and CEO Brian Robbins released a statement explaining the significance of the deal.
“Our coverage of the NFL Wild Card game was literally a game changer in so many ways, and the sensational response absolutely proved that there is a huge demand for sports content with the kind of kids’ and families’ point of view that only Nickelodeon can deliver,” Robbins said. “In this next stage of our tremendous partnership with the NFL and CBS Sports, we’re going to raise the bar again and help innovate sports programming to bring the whole family together for one-of-a-kind viewing experiences.”
How Nickelodeon’s broadcast is different from the regular NFL broadcast
The Nickelodeon broadcast is best known for its virtual effects, the main one being the virtual slime celebration when a touchdown is scored.
Also, Nickelodeon plans to continue its virtual charts this year, with its infamous orange being used to display the first downlines, for example. They will also highlight an augmented reality blimp that will fly throughout the stadium.
Pregame and halftime shows are planned for the broadcast, but information is unknown at this time on which ones they will be. At last year’s game, they showed a clip from the famous football halftime show episode “Spongebob Squarepants.” Various Nickelodeon stars will also make cameo appearances throughout the game.
But, what makes the Nickelodeon broadcast really stand out is their “NVP Award,” which acts as their MVP award. Last year, Mitch Trubisky won the award.
2021 Nickelodeon NFL Game Success
The transmission of Saints vs. Nickelodeon’s Bears last year resulted in its most-watched show in more than four years. The broadcast generated around two billion impressions on Twitter and was the top trending topic that afternoon.
Clips of the virtual slime in the field went viral, along with videos of some of Nickelodeon’s beloved characters making appearances.
www.sportingnews.com
Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.