NFL wild-card matchup to debut on cable TV

ASSOCIATED PRESS

11 years ago

—- In this Nov. 20, 2011, file photo, an NFL logo is displayed on the Ford Field turf before an NFL football game. Google has been holding talks with the National Football League, raising speculation that the internet monolith is seeking new inroads into television. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

NEW YORK — An NFL playoff game will air on cable for the first time this season.

The league said Tuesday that a wild-card matchup will be broadcast on ESPN in January. As with “Monday Night Football,” the game will be simulcast on local channels in the teams’ home markets.

In the NFL’s new TV deals that start with the 2014 season, NBC exchanged one of its wild-card matchups for one in the divisional round. It hasn’t been determined yet whether NBC will show an AFC or NFC game in January.