After living on cable for decades, “Inside the NFL” is coming to broadcast thanks to The CW. Starting this fall, the network will be the weekly sports show’s broadcast and streaming home.
“Inside the NFL,” which is about to enter its 47th season, will debut on The CW Tuesday, September 5 at 8/7 p.m. Episodes will be available to stream on The CW app and on cwtv.com. Because this is the first time the series has ever been on broadcast, this will also mark the first time the series has ever been available for sponsorship and advertising opportunities.
“We are excited to partner with NFL Films and welcome ‘Inside the NFL’ to the CW Sports family,” president of The CW Network Dennis Miller said. “For almost five decades, ‘Inside the NFL’ has been an industry leader in showcasing can’t-miss weekly highlights, unprecedented behind-the-scenes content, exclusive access to players and lively discussion. By combining this premiere NFL content with our robust broadcast audience, we look forward to bringing this legendary sports series to more fans than ever before and to advertisers for the first time.”
“Generations of football fans have grown up watching ‘Inside the NFL,’” Ross Ketover, senior executive of NFL Films, said. “It is a show we cherish at NFL Films and we are thrilled to bring it to a great new partner in The CW. This is a special opportunity to reimagine and reboot ‘Inside the NFL’ for a wider audience and a new generation of fans. We can’t wait to get started.”
Over its many years on the air, this sports commentary series has had several different homes. It first premiered on HBO in 1977. The cable network held onto it until 2008 when HBO announced it was dropping the series after Super Bowl XLII. “Inside the NFL” was then promptly picked up by Showtime where it lived for the next 13 years before it moved to Paramount+ in 2021.
As part of The CW’s rebranding, the network has been more focused on sports. The broadcast network is currently the home of the LIV Golf League and noted that they were in talks with “every league” in the current sports market.