NEW YORK (AFP) - Eight billion dollars in television contract extensions were approved here by National Football League officials, securing telecast rights on the CBS and Fox networks for the next six years.
The American football deals will keep Sunday afternoon games on Fox and CBS through 2011. CBS will stay with the American conference package it obtained in 1998. Fox will keep the National conference clubs they have shown since 1994.
The existing contract, which had been set to expire after the 2005 season, was worth 17.2 million dollars. But that total also included Sunday night games on ESPN cable and Monday night games on ABC.
Negotiations continue with ESPN and ABC regarding extending the Sunday and Monday night packages.
"These agreements represent the NFL's premium position as the number one sports and entertainment attraction on television and in stadiums," NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue said.
"Our goal in the negotiations has been to continue to deliver our games to the widest possible audience."
Fox outbid CBS for the National conference games in an epic 1993 deal and CBS responded by outbidding NBC for the American conference package five years later.
Each network will have telecast rights for two Super Bowls during the new contract. CBS will carry the game on February 4, 2007, with Fox getting the game the next year.
11/09/2004 - 07:28 GMT - AFP