- More Football: Two Games, One Night – New Orleans at Carolina on ESPN at 7:15 p.m. ET & Cleveland at Pittsburgh on ABC at 8:15 p.m. ET
- More than Four Hours of Uninterrupted NFL Game Action across Disney Networks
- Both Game Productions to Work in Tandem, Providing Fans Live Look-Ins and Navigation Across Both Networks
- Monday Night Countdown Begins at 5 p.m. on ESPN
In NFL’s Week 2, ESPN’s Monday Night Football will present two games, with staggered kickoff times and overlapping action on the same night (Monday, Sept. 18). Viewers will have more than four hours of uninterrupted NFL game action, as New Orleans at Carolina begins at 7:15 p.m. on ESPN and Cleveland at Pittsburgh at 8:15 p.m. on ABC. The two games, which will be shown in full on each respective network, will overlap for roughly one half of football, creating a Sunday afternoon environment in primetime.
Monday Night Football’s “Two Games, One Night” will occur again in Week 3 (September 25) and Week 14 (December 11). Last season, ESPN and ABC presented it once, in Week 2.
What Fans Need to Know:
- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Lisa Salters will be in Pittsburgh; Chris Fowler, Dan Orlovsky, Louis Riddick and Laura Rutledge will be in Carolina. Officiating expert John Parry will work both games.
- Beginning at 8:15 p.m. throughout the overlapping action, both ESPN and ABC productions will create awareness of what is happening on the other network:
- Activating a double-box view, allowing simultaneous viewing for periods of time
- Having a noticeable, but smaller, less prominent, score box of Browns-Steelers on ESPN and Saints-Panthers on ABC – in addition to the traditional scorebox
- Buck and Fowler will toss it to Scott Van Pelt, who will be in Bristol, for highlights and game updates of Saints-Panthers and Browns-Steelers, respectively.
- Prominent navigation and updates via the Bottom Line
- During halftime of both games, Scott Van Pelt will host:
- Live look-ins of game action in the matchup that is ongoing
- Traditional halftime news and information
- Following the Saints-Panthers, Scott Van Pelt will host on ESPN:
- Live, extended look-ins of Browns-Steelers
- SVP will voice updates, with graphic treatment of the Browns-Steelers
- Van Pelt and Ryan Clark will recap of Saints-Panthers
- Browns-Steelers Bottom Line updates and navigation
- At the conclusion of Browns-Steelers, Van Pelt will continue to host postgame coverage on SportsCenter
Monday Night Football across Disney Networks
Beginning at 7 p.m., ESPN2 will simulcast all of ESPN’s programming through the conclusion of Saints-Panthers. ESPN+ will simulcast ABC’s telecast of Browns-Steelers.
ESPN Deportes will air the entire Saints-Panthers game. The Spanish-language call of Browns-Steelers is available on ESPN+.
Monday Night Football is available to authenticated cable subscribers on ESPN.com and the ESPN App on mobile and TV-connected streaming devices, as well as on phone and tablet devices with NFL+.
ESPN/Disney See Multiple New Enhancements Under New NFL Rights Agreement
The two games with staggered starts and overlapping action – which began in the 2022 NFL season – is an added component of ESPN’s growing NFL rights portfolio. Also added this year, and each subsequent season of the deal, is an annual Divisional playoff game and flex scheduling beginning in Week 12. ESPN will produce the Super Bowl following the 2026 and 2030 seasons, which will air on ESPN and ABC. The ESPN+ international game and Week 18 doubleheader are also part of the new agreement and were implemented in the previous two seasons.
Monday Night Countdown Begins at 5 p.m. ET; ESPN’s Studio Shows Add to Extensive Coverage
Inclusive of the game action, ESPN will provide fans more than eight hours of NFL coverage, beginning with NFL Blitz (3 p.m.), followed by NFL Live (4 p.m.) and then Monday Night Countdown leading into Saints-Panthers (5 p.m.). On ABC, Monday Night Countdown will return at 7:30 p.m. to lead into Browns-Steelers.
|
ESPN |
|
| Time (ET) | Show |
| 3-4 p.m. | NFL Blitz |
| 4-5 p.m. | NFL Live |
| 5-7 p.m. | Monday Night Countdown (from Bristol) |
| 7-7:15 p.m. | Monday Night Kickoff |
| 7:15-10:15 p.m. | Monday Night Football: Saints at Panthers |
| 10:15 p.m. – Midnight | SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt |
Note: Monday Night Football Postgame will air on ESPN after the ABC game concludes.
|
ABC |
|
| Time (ET) | Show |
| 7-7:30 p.m. | Local programming |
| 7:30-8 p.m. | Monday Night Countdown |
| 8-8:15 p.m. | Monday Night Kickoff |
| 8:15pm – Midnight | Monday Night Football: Browns at Steelers |
|
ESPN2 |
|
| Time (ET) | Show |
| 7-7:15 p.m. | Monday Night Kickoff |
| 7:15-10:15 p.m. | Monday Night Football: Saints at Panthers |
| 10:15 p.m. – Midnight | SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt |
Note: Monday Night Football Postgame will air on ESPN2 after the ABC game concludes.
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Media Contacts:
Derek Volner (Derek.Volner@espn.com)
Lily Blum (Lily.Blum@espn.com)
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