5. Sign Thursday Night Football to a long-term deal
This goes without saying. After playing tennis-like defense to keep its glamour properties like the NFL, the PGA Tour, the Masters, PGA Championship and NCAA Tournament while losing the U.S. Open to ESPN in this decade, CBS surprised observers by winning the Thursday Night Football package over ESPN, Fox and NBC in 2014. CBS is in the last year of a two-year contract that allows it to air the first half of the schedule with the second half on NFL Network while producing the entire package.
We’ve seen the ratings that the NFL provides to CBS on Thursday nights and the Tiffany Network will do all it can to keep the package in the fold. Since we’re king for a day here, we’re going to provide the cash so CBS can keep TNF for the duration of the current NFL TV contract. While players and some fans might question the wisdom of the Thursday night schedule, its ratings success on cable and broadcast television shows that it’s here to stay. CBS’s numbers almost doubled on Thursday nights with the NFL, which is very impressive considering it was already a strong sitcom night for the network.
And while we’re at it, we’re going to have Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts call the second half of the TNF schedule that will air on NFL Network and partially simulcast on CBS Sports Network. Why not?
Monday: ESPN
Tuesday: Fox Sports
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About Ken Fang
Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013.
He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television.
Fang celebrates the four Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.