NFL owners vote to expand playoffs to 14 teams beginning in 2020
The playoffs haven’t been expanded since 1990.
The owners of the NFL’s 32 teams voted to expand the playoffs from 12 to 14 teams beginning with the next season, the league announced Tuesday.
Another wild-card team from each conference will be added. This will give only the No. 1 seeds in the AFC and the NFC first-round byes, and will pair the No. 2 and No. 7 seeds, the No. 3 and No. 6 seeds, and the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds in the first round.
According to the NFL, the playoffs haven’t been expanded since 1990, when they grew from 10 to 12 teams.
With the addition of a third wild card team to each conference, CBS and NBC each picked up a game to add to its television schedule.
CBS will get the Sunday afternoon wild card game, while NBC will gain the Sunday night matchup. Both games will be played January 10, 2021, presuming the NFL schedule remains intact.
Per Sports Business Journal, CBS will pay approximately $70 million for its game, while NBC’s sticker price for the prime-time broadcast will be in the mid-$70 million range.
Both NBC and CBS will be allowed to stream the games as well as airing them on broadcast television. The NBC game will be simulcasted on its Peacock streaming service, which launches April 15. The CBS game will be simulcasted on CBS All Access. It also plans to broadcast a version on Nickelodeon geared toward younger fans.
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