• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Disney’s Plan Behind Overlapping ‘Monday Night Football’ Games

  • Dueling telecasts on ESPN and ABC will overlap for roughly 90 minutes.
  • The NFL likes to experiment with television game windows.
Troy Aikman Joe Buck Monday Night Football
Joe Faraoni / ESPN Images)

The NFL likes to experiment with TV windows, airing games in early and late afternoon, primetime, and even early morning from London.

The Walt Disney Co. and the NFL will take another step tonight when they telecast two “Monday Night Football” games with “overlapping action” and “staggered” kickoff times.

Here’s the game plan. 

ESPN/ESPN2 will telecast Tennessee Titans vs. Buffalo Bills at 7:15 p.m. ET while ABC/ESPN+ will show Minnesota Vikings vs. Philadelphia Eagles at 8:30 p.m ET.

ESPN has shown ‘MNF’ doubleheaders in past seasons. But those games previously had back-to-back TV windows, kicking off at either 7 and 10 p.m. ET or 4:30 and 8:15 p.m. ET.

Instead, sister Disney networks ESPN and ABC aim to create more than four hours of integrated, nonstop action tonight.

Their dual-game telecasts will actually overlap for one half of football, or about 90 minutes. Both should be done by midnight.

What’s behind the strategy?

ESPN and the NFL are trying to find a TV sweet spot for ‘MNF’ primetime doubleheaders. 

As part of Disney’ $2 billion annual rights deal with the NFL, ESPN will get three ‘MNF’ doubleheaders next season.

In the past, the early 7 p.m. ET games lost some viewers on the West Coast who were still at work at 4 p.m. PT. Conversely, the 10 p.m. ET kickoffs lost viewers on the East Coast who were in bed by 1 a.m. ET. 

By having the two games overlap, ESPN and the NFL want to maximize their TV audience — and create a “Sunday Afternoon” environment in primetime. 

“We’re trying to learn a little bit. We want to see how the audience reacts — and see how it goes,” said NFL spokesman Alex Riethmiller.

More details on tonight’s overlapping MNF telecasts:

  • ESPNs ‘MNF’ “B” team of Steve Levy, Louis Riddick, Dan Orlovsky, and Laura Rutledge will call Titans-Bills from Buffalo. ESPN’s expensive new ‘MNF’ broadcast booth of Troy Aikman, Joe Buck, and Lisa Salters will call Vikings-Eagles from Philadelphia. 
  • Officiating analyst John Parry will work both games. Suzy Kolber will host halftime coverage of both games. Analyst Booger McFarland and Inside Adam Schefter will offer news, analysis, and info on the halftime shows.
  • Starting at 8:30 pm ET, ESPN and ABC will keep viewers updated on the other game via live look-ins, double-box views, smaller and less prominent score boxes, and game updates from “SportsCenter” anchor Scott Van Pelt.  

But this will not be “NFL RedZone” whipping back and forth between games. Each play of each game will be televised in full. At the conclusion of Eagles-Vikings, Van Pelt will lead postgame coverage across Disney networks.

“It’s an opportunity to do something different. We’ll see if it resonates with viewers,” Riethmiller added.

The NFL is off to a strong start for the 2022 season, with the league drawing its biggest Week 1 audiences since 2016. Over the next two seasons, the league will also expand its game offerings on new days such as Christmas Day and Black Friday.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

exclusive

CBS, NFL Host James Brown Discussing Contract Extension

The 74-year-old Brown has hosted a record 10 Super Bowl pregame shows.

ESPN Brings Pat McAfee to Atlanta for Home Run Derby Showcase

The Disney-owned network will bring one of its top stars to Atlanta.
Malika Andrews
exclusive

Joe Buck, Malika Andrews to Guest-Host ABC’s ‘Good Morning America’

Elle Duncan and Laura Rutledge have also had discussions.
Dan Orlovsky and Ryan Clark
exclusive

Dan Orlovsky, ESPN Agree to Terms for Contract Extension

Orlovsky had faced possible free agency this summer with his contract ending.

Featured Today

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
July 5, 2025

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.
July 4, 2025

3,000 Hot Dogs, $20K in Prizes: Behind the Nathan’s Eating Contest

Nathan’s serves up thousands of hot dogs and $20,000 in prize money.
July 3, 2025

Geoffrey Esper Can’t Catch a Break at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

“Hot dogs is not one of my favorite competitions of the year.”
Jul 6, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Mexico forward Marcel Ruiz (14) heads the ball in front of United States midfielder Brenden Aaronson (11) in the second half during the 2025 Gold Cup Final at NRG Stadium.

USMNT Struggles Still Produce Big Gold Cup Ratings for Fox

The U.S. team’s recent issues culminated in a loss to Mexico.
Leo Messi
June 27, 2025

TNT, Club World Cup Ride Messi to Surprisingly Solid Debut Ratings

TNT Sports carries about a third of matches in the U.S.
July 2, 2025

Paramount Settles Trump Suit Ahead of NFL Season, Skydance Merger

The deal likely allows the much larger Skydance merger deal to proceed.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
June 24, 2025

Fever vs. Aces Draws 5th-Largest TV Audience of 2025 WNBA Season

ESPN will carry seven more Indiana Fever games this year.
June 23, 2025

NBA Finals Game 7 Is Most-Watched Since 2019, but Series Drops 9%

Game 7 drew 16.35 million viewers, the most-watched NBA game since 2019.
June 19, 2025

Pacers Force Game 7, Could Spark Big Ratings Boost for NBA Finals

Game 7 could boost NBA Finals ratings after a slow start this year.
June 17, 2025

Stanley Cup Final Delivers Drama but Struggles for Eyeballs in U.S.

U.S. viewership fell while Canadian audiences for the event rose slightly.