NEW YORK – December 16, 2003 – The National Football League and SIRIUS Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) today announced a seven-year agreement for SIRIUS to broadcast all NFL games live nationwide, and for SIRIUS to become the Official Satellite Radio Partner of the National Football League, with exclusive rights to use the NFL “shield†logo and collective NFL team trademarks.
Beginning with the NFL’s 2004 season, SIRIUS will carry the entire regular season as well as select preseason contests and playoff games.
As part of the agreement, SIRIUS will create “The NFL Radio Network,†an around-the-clock exclusive stream of NFL content for SIRIUS subscribers. The radio channel will provide news, features, and a wide range of other programming highlighting the NFL and its teams. The NFL Radio Network on Sirius will also include programs from NFL Network, the first television network dedicated to the NFL which launched in November.
SIRIUS will offer all of the NFL programming at no additional cost to its subscribers.
NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said, “SIRIUS has a strong commitment to sports broadcasting. We look forward to the great new programming that will be available to NFL fans on Sirius. Our partnership with SIRIUS provides all fans nationwide with another way to stay in touch with their favorite teams.â€Â
“The NFL is the most powerful name in sports, and SIRIUS is elated to be working with this world-class organization,†said Joseph P. Clayton, President and CEO, SIRIUS. “For the first time ever, football fans will have the opportunity to hear radio play-by-play of their favorite NFL team – called by their favorite local announcers – no matter where they are in North America. This agreement represents a major enhancement to our superior programming lineup and it underscores our ongoing commitment to enrich the SIRIUS subscriber experience.â€Â
Scott Greenstein of The Greenstein Group, an entertainment industry consulting firm that brought SIRIUS and the NFL together, commented, “This is much more than a simple broadcast license. The NFL programming provides SIRIUS with compelling content that is unavailable anywhere else while allowing the teams to connect with their out-of-market fans across the country.â€Â
The agreement between the NFL and SIRIUS is subject to customary documentation, which is expected to be completed by January 31, 2004. Details are provided in an 8-K filed by Sirius.
A complete schedule of games will be available at
www.sirius.com and
www.nfl.com. SIRIUS radios for the car and home, starting at $149, are available at thousands of retailers nationwide. The monthly subscription fee is $12.95, or less with prepaid subscription plans.