« Transcript: Bill Belichick's Wednesday press conference | Main | Wednesday participation report »

December 26, 2007

Update: Pats-Giants game will be shown on local TV after all

You will be able to watch the New England Patriots' season finale against the Giants at home after all.

The National Football League just announced it has arranged an "unprecedented" three-way national simulcast of the NFL Network telecast of this Saturday night's game with broadcast partners CBS and NBC.

Locally, that means both Channels 10 and 12 can carry the game, an NFL spokesman said. Shortly after, both stations confirmed to The Journal that they will broadcast the game.

The Patriots, 15-0, have the chance to finish the regular season undefeated. But a lot of Pats' fans in Rhode Island were likely to miss the momentous event, since the game was to be available locally only to subscribers to the NFL Network.

Lisa Churchville, president and general manager of NBC 10, sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Monday offering to clear the station’s Saturday prime time schedule to air the game.

WPRI-TV Channel 12 carried most of the team's games this season, while NBC 10 carrried two.

This Saturday's game will also be televised by WCVB-ABC (Channel 5) in Boston, WMUR-ABC in Manchester, New Hampshire (Channel 9) and WWOR (Channel 9) in New York.

The telecast begins at 8 p.m. ET with kickoff set at 8:15 p.m. ET.

The NFL describes it as the first three-network simulcast in NFL history and the first simulcast of any kind of an NFL game since Super Bowl I in 1967 when CBS and NBC both televised the first meeting of the champions of the newly merged National Football League and American Football League.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Paul Edward Parker

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 5:23 PM | Permalink