For Throwback Thursday today, we’re not going too far back in time. To be precise, we’re taking a short hop in the “wayback machine” to earlier this year, and the NFL’s Wild Card Playoff game. The game was a dud because of the tepid action on the field, but the production, the effects, and the talent were all supplied by Nick At Nite.
The blog post below was titled “Why The NFL’s Gen Z Strategy May Be The Best In The Entertainment Industry,” and it detailed how the league is changing up its presentation to appeal to different audiences – in this case, teens.
And now CBS Sports is doubling down on that pool of green slime in the end zone. Along with Nickelodeon, they’ll produce an alternative version of a playoff game this January. Once again, former NFLer, Nate Burleson, will be featured. Nick and the NFL are also teaming up for a weekly series on Nickelodeon, NFL Slimetime.
That’s not all. In their effort to grow their audience and go beyond the typical boundaries, there’s a hot new duo on ESPN 2’s Monday Night Football telecast – quarterbacking bros, Peyton and Eli Manning.
Like a hot morning show on a tired rock station, the quarterbacking brothers even brought some life to the Lions/Packers game, averaging nearly 2 million viewers, and growing the audience by an astonishing 138% over the debut of MNF the previous week.
Looks like the NFL has a winner on its hands. More importantly, it’s a sign that well-known brands can improvise, innovate, and expand their parameters. As I discussed in the blog post below, even radio could get in on the act. – FJ
You know the old joke:
I was watching an NFL playoff game and a kid’s TV show broke out.
That’s what happened on Sunday in the Wild Card playoff showdown between the Bears and the Saints. Unlike your standard issue NFL game however, this one was different. WAY different.
It was produced, packaged, and presented by Nick At Nite. And it was positively brilliant.
I was not the target viewer – not even close. This warped, stylized version of what could have been another nondescript, forgettable NFL game on TV was aimed at kids, but enjoyable to their parents (and grandparents).
It was unadulterated FUN to watch a treatment of an NFL game through the green slime lens of Nick, especially a contest that wasn’t particularly entertaining in the first place. It was positively transformative.
Thanks to the team at Nick, they animated an otherwise drab, crowdless affair and made it fun and interesting. You wondered how they would manage to dream up their own treatments of NFL traditions and rules. And to their credit, Nick At Nite’s animation crew didn’t miss a trick, as you can see by the array of screen caps below:
Oddly enough, I wrote about this game last week because several publications promoted it as streaming only (Amazon Prime and Twitch) with no broadcast coverage. But when I sought the game out on my Xfinity X1 remote, CBS and Nick At Nite both popped up as options. Nick was on top, and I was curious, so I immediately tried the oddest choice for an NFL playoff game.
And it was the best – by far. Several times, I flipped back to CBS’s “normal” coverage. Compared to Nick, it was like watching the game in black and white. You forget just how mundane the average football game has become. And how exciting they can be with some production, lots of flash, imagination, and jettisoning musty old traditions.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who came away with that impression. UPROXX’s Ryan Nagelhout summed it up this way:
“What Nickelodeon aired on Sunday was a legitimately entertaining broadcast of a pretty underwhelming playoff football game.”
SB Nation’s James Dator had a similar impression:
“The youth-focused presentation of the game made it not only perfect for kids, but anyone who wants to enjoy football without the grand seriousness of traditional commentary.”
And that was part of why it worked. The “announcing crew” was comprised of former NFL star Nate Burleson (left below), play-by-play guy Noah Eagle (son of CBS announcer Ian Eagle, right below), and young Gabrielle Nevaeh Green (middle) who brought the naivete of someone watching her second football game. And Nick star, Lex Lumpkin (pictured above right) roamed the sidelines, had fun, and even did a Barack Obama impression.
Burleson rocked it, bringing smart analysis, with enough of the remedial info to keep kids engaged, while impressing us grizzled vets.
And while you might not want to see Nick handle an entire season of NFL games, this was a refreshing change of pace, especially during this COVID-tainted season. And it made me wonder how other aspects of pop culture would take on the challenge of presenting a pro football contest.
A music version might include Dave Grohl and Ozzy Osbourne (play-by-play and color respectively), aided by Beyonce and Jay-Z handling pre- and post-game duties, with Billie Eilish roaming the sidelines.
But I digress…
The fact is, the NFL is onto something here. In much the same boat as other “mature” entertainment verticals (are you listening, radio?) a sharp effort to engage teens is a strategically smart idea. Given population shifts – younger and more ethnic, as we saw once again during this political season – the NFL, MLB, the PGA, and other sports leagues need to undertake serious self-analysis and some attention-getting tactics to ensure their fan base doesn’t morph into communities of AARP members.
Kudos to NFL commish Roger Goodell and his team for drawing up this risky-on-paper play, and to the Nick At Nite posse for reimagining NFL football in ways that even made penalties entertaining (and cross-promoted their Young Sheldon franchise):
Young Sheldon explaining NFL rules. Nickelodeon you sly fox you
— George Jarjour (@GeorgeOnTap) January 10, 2021
Bravo!
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
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Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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The Peyton / Eli experiment on ESPN is outstanding with many characteristics of what great rock stations should have- an element of surprise, irreverence, self-deprecation, guests from different walks of life and hosts with star power. So far we’ve seen largely sports personalities as guests, I bet rock stars, country artists, and actors will start appearing. ESPN has taken the massive appeal of the NFL and added show business. Nice move.
Scott, it seems like we’re headed in this direction. They Peyton/Eli “experiment” will likely usher in other combos of personalities, some of whom may transform the game. This is a good thing. Thanks for commenting.
Hello Fred & The…Ted Lasso of Shaker-Scott Jameson 😉
The format (for us rock) is the base for which a house is built so we can invite some cool folks in. Pass the slime.
“In their effort to grow their audience and go beyond the typical boundaries…”
Maybe if you repeat that enough, someone in radio might try it.
We can only hope. I’m impressed with where the NFL is headed.
Seems there are a lot of NFL tactics that broadcasting in general could adopt. Brand extension sometimes works when it’s done right. (“Bud/Miller/Coor’s Light anyone?”)
The sneaky folks at the NFL seem to have found a way to expose their product to younger people through Nickelodeon, a brand that younger people know already. This is brilliant marketing helping both Nick-and NFL, kinda like how my Mom used to mix sugar with ground up aspirin when I was sick!
I’m writing about sports WAAAYYY too much these days, but there are some great stories and ideas for the world of media. And yes, I’m jealous of the Nick thing – a great way to reach Gen Z fans.