NBC Makes Sunday Into Football Night
FOR DECADES, MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL ON ABC was America’s favorite sports program. But in 2006, NBC Sports took over the show and moved it to Sunday. The network sensed that it had the opportunity to change how people watched football but didn’t know how. The company worked with Jump to change the game in sports broadcasting, dramatically boosting ratings in the process.
- Download PDF
- Email Article
Publication
By immersing ourselves in the interactive and social viewing habits of these fans, we identified key factors in sports broadcasting and service design that can transform casual observers into engaged fans.
When NBC took over the Sunday Night Football franchise in 2006, they discovered that the nature of fandom had changed.
Moving TV sports beyond the weekly broadcast
In 2006, NBC Sports secured the rights to broadcast NFL Sunday Night Football games with hosts John Madden and Al Michaels. The network’s leaders then turned to Jump to help them make the most of their new investment—fast. In four weeks, we needed to figure out how to make NBC’s return to football broadcasting a success, and to create services, products, and promotions that would make people want to watch every single week, no matter who was playing in the game.
Celebrating the Competing Needs of Football Fans
We interviewed, played games with and watched sports with dedicated fans in their homes to understand how watching football has changed. One of the most interesting things we discovered about sports fans during our cultural immersion in their lives is that even dedicated fans have many interests competing for their attention these days. What this meant for NBC was that it could make Sunday Night Football a must-see if it shaped the program to bridge their many interests. As a result, we recommended framing Sunday Night Football as a social experience, bringing friends families together for a shared cultural event. This inspired the program’s immensely popular tagline, “Sunday Night is Football Night,” which has helped NBC drive ratings growth.
Reclaiming the football ratings crown
Jump provided NBC with a promotion, and broadcast strategy to increase viewer engagement. We then crafted concepts to help audience members become more active participants in the game and connect with family and friends socially. In the three seasons following the project, the show has consistently outpaced its predecessor Monday Night Football. The 2006 average ratings alone were up 8.2 percent, the highest regular season football ratings in a decade.
