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A number of live football games will be broadcast on NFL Network starting next month, but no NFL teams will be participating.
Leading sports league cable channels and streaming services, NFL Network and NFL+, have secured the rights to Arena Football League games and overtime OT7 games.
NFL Network and NFL+ will televise and stream more than 30 AFL games this season starting April 27, following coverage of the NFL Draft. OT7 coverage begins April 6th and 7th at 4pm and continues through May 5th.
“We're excited to partner with the AFL and OT7 to bring even more live football to NFL Network,” NFL Media senior vice president David Julenka said in a statement. “The energy surrounding live football games is unparalleled, and we're thrilled to be able to provide fans with such great action in two leagues throughout the spring.”
While spring football isn't a new concept (the UFL debuts this year by merging Dwayne Johnson's XFL and Fox's USFL), most spring league viewership numbers are similar to the viewership that the NFL drives in the fall and winter. It's just a fraction of the number.
The league has also televised games from other leagues in the past, including the AFL, Canadian Football League, Alliance of American Football and American Flag Football League. NFL Networks has also broadcast college and high school games for years.
More recently, spring leagues have reinvented their role as potential incubators of future NFL stars, with the XFL and USFL previously promoting players who made it to the “big leagues.” In fact, Overtime was created with the specific goal of developing players and betting that many of them would go on to bigger deals. OT7 differs from the AFL and NFL in that it features high school players in 7-on-7, but AFL is played in indoor arenas.
“The Arena Football League and Overtime OT7 provide a unique opportunity for coaches, players and officials to hone their skills and showcase their talent to a growing football fan base,” said Troy, NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations.・Vincent Sr. says. “This expanded coverage further highlights the many avenues available within the sport of football.”
