During last season’s NFC Wild Card Playoff game between the New Orleans Saints and the Chicago Bears, primetime became slimetime as Nickelodeon broadcasted an NFL game for the first time, presenting it in ways only they could. Now, the partnership between the National Football League and Nickelodeon is set to expand with both a reprise of their Playoff broadcast and new content geared towards kids and families.
On Friday, Nickelodeon and CBS Sports announced a new partnership with the NFL for the 2021 season, which will see Nickelodeon once again broadcast an NFL Wild Card Playoff game as well as the launch of “NFL Slimetime,” a new half-hour weekly series on Nickelodeon.
Hosted by CBS Sports’ Nate Burleson and Nick star Young Dylan, “NFL Slimetime” will feature Nick-ified highlights and game footage, youth football spotlights, special guest appearances by Nick stars, interviews with NFL players and segments highlighting players and teams on and off the field. In addition to Burleson and Young Dylan, Dylan Schefter and Lincoln Loud (star of “The Loud House”) will serve as teen sports correspondents.
“NFL Slimetime” will premiere Wednesday, Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. ET, with episodes available to stream on Paramount+ starting on Sept. 16.
“Our coverage of the NFL Wild Card game was literally a game-changer in so many ways, and the sensational response absolutely proved there’s huge demand for sports content with the kind of kids and family point of view that only Nickelodeon can deliver,” Brian Robbins, President and Chief Executive Officer of Nickelodeon and Chief Content Officer of Kids & Family for Paramount+, said in a statement. “In this next stage of our tremendous partnership with the NFL and CBS Sports, we’re going to raise the bar again and help innovate sports programming to bring the whole family together for one-of-a-kind viewing experiences.”
Last season, Nickelodeon’s broadcast of the NFC Wild Card Game between the Saints and the Bears was a resounding success — complete with slime-filled touchdown celebrations . It was the network’s most-watched program among total viewers in nearly four years and the number one cable telecast of the week among kids ages 2-11 and ages 6-11. The program, which aired alongside the standard CBS Sports broadcast, generated more than two billion social media impressions and made Nickelodeon the top trending topic in the U.S. on Twitter during that afternoon.
“Together with Nickelodeon, CBS Sports is cultivating the next generation of NFL fans,” said CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus. “Our inaugural NFL Wild Card Game on Nickelodeon was an outstanding display of the power and the ability of ViacomCBS to continue to reach broader and younger audiences. We are thrilled to team up with the NFL and Nickelodeon this season, offering kids and families a full season of unique and unparalleled NFL content, including our second edition of the NFL Wild Card Game on Nickelodeon.”
The NFL Wild Card Game on Nickelodeon was the recipient of two Sports Emmy Awards in the categories of Outstanding Playoff Coverage and Outstanding Live Graphic Design.
