When asked to describe the NFL's current TV package, the president of NBC Sports declared, "The dollar figures have reached an insane level.... It is a foolhardy economic venture on all the packages." The year was 1998, and the president was Dick Ebersol. What a difference a few seasons—and a crumbling prime time schedule—dan make. Today, NBC is a football fan again. As part of the NFL's record $3.7 billion in TV-rights deals finished last week, NBC Universal, which had forfeited sports programming because of the cost, suddenly ponied up $600 million for NFL games on Sunday nights, where ESPN had ruled. Disney's ESPN cable network agreed to pay $1.1 billion annually for rights to Monday Night Football—about twice ABC's average annual payment for MNF since 1998.
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