Last summer, the NFL signed a landmark free-to-air deal with British broadcaster Channel 5, a subsidiary of Skydance’s Paramount, aimed at increasing interest in the sport across the pond.
The first season, hosted by Dermot O’Leary, Sam Quek and Osi Umenyiora and produced by Hungry Bear Media, interspersed a typical NFL game with pundits, quizzes and spectator games to appeal to longtime fans as well as families. Though reactions were mixed (“The initial reaction from die-hard NFL fans was very mixed,” admits Hungry Bear executive producer Luke Siak), viewers warmed up as the season progressed, helped by the understanding that the format needed to be family-friendly to appeal to British audiences, and Taylor Swift pitched in.
Ahead of Channel 5’s NFL: Big Game Night, which will broadcast Super Bowl LX live from San Juan Cisco on Sunday, February 8, at 10:30pm UK time, Shaick sat down with Variety to talk about what it’s like to bring the NFL to the UK, what the team has planned for Sunday, and, of course, the Swift effect.
What has been the reaction from British viewers so far?
A big problem with the NFL, which is gaining momentum in the UK, is that ad breaks are built into the actual game mechanics for the US TV market, making it very stop-start. So if you look at the whole game, I think there are about 28 or 30 ad breaks. British television doesn’t have many requirements for ad breaks. In fact, ad breaks are not allowed. So instead of filling ad breaks with regular commentary, why not (we thought) continue to entertain viewers with the entertainment format of a studio game show? We tried it and it worked. (The NFL) loved the craziness and the ridiculousness of it…and that’s what we’ve been doing all season. The initial reaction from die-hard NFL fans was pretty much split between, “Great, there’s a game you can watch for free,” but they hated the (studio) game — they felt patronized — and on the other hand, we got really good feedback from families and parents very quickly. Dads who used to sneak out to watch by themselves are now suddenly able to watch their kids as well. But NFL chat rooms and Reddit groups are slowly becoming a little more positive. And as we neared the business end of the season, we toned down the games and banter and competition a little bit.
What does it look like from a production standpoint, given that theater can stop at any time?
It was unbelievable during the season. It depends on the match, so we don’t know when the break will take place. We’re listening to the US gallery in the gallery because we’re receiving the US feed. Often it’s a mess. Sometimes they fight over whether to take a break or stay on the field. we are following them. Dermot is arguing on the floor, “Are you coming to the studio, going to critique, or taking a break? What are you doing?” And sometimes, without any notice, we’ll literally say, “Dermot’s coming in in 10 seconds, you’ve got a minute left,” or “There’s going to be a highlight or a replay, let’s talk about it.” And he needs to get stats and bring in guests. And you have to shut down your system and get back to playing before you miss a snap. It was said that people would be furious if they missed the start of the play. So it was an incredible process.
What are your plans for Sunday’s Super Bowl?
If everything goes according to plan, it will be great. We are currently filming VT in San Francisco. We had Sam Quek, and we had a Pro Bowl berth. The game we’ve been playing every episode (on the game show) is called “NFL or…?” NFL players have incredible names. Americans have incredible names. Then I found out that I could play a game called “NFL or…?” Anything. So the first thing I did was, “NFL (player) or rapper?” But what we found was that it was even better when we asked the question, “Are you an NFL player or a British (gas) station?” or “NFL player or Shakespeare character?” or “NFL player or paint color?” So it became kind of our signature game. So we performed this song with absolute superstars like Dak Prescott, Cameron Dicker, and Brandon Aubrey. We did “NFL or UK?” So, Gretna Green, is he an NFL player or a British place?
The Super Bowl is a huge cultural moment in the US, do you think it can be similar in the UK?
Listen, I don’t know if we’ll reach the level of America. It will take 100 years or something. But definitely the desire is to move it from a very interesting niche cultural event to an event where people put it on their calendars and go to Super Bowl watch parties.
This year has given us a really, really useful calling card in terms of raising British interest. That means the Seahawks’ defensive coordinator is Englishman Adam Dard. I sat down with Sam for an interview on Monday, so we’ll feature that in the lead-up. he is a very nice person.
Another thing that I think is really good for UK viewers is seeing themselves on the air. So we decided to have an official NFL viewing party in Walthamstow (…) and we would include it and during a break in play Dermot would say, “What a great touchdown! Look how it was celebrated in London.” So, hopefully you’ll get some pictures of people throwing beer in the air.
How much has Taylor Swift helped grow the NFL audience in the UK?
Trying to introduce a new culture into an existing one is a tough process, and there are so many big sports in the UK, but anecdotally, Taylor Swift definitely helped plant the seeds for the NFL. I tried to incorporate the Taylor Swift effect. There was a Kansas City Chiefs game, so they booked a Taylor Swift lookalike and placed her in a special spot in the crowd. At the end of the show, we hinted a little about her. We never gave her a name. We casually said, “Oh, you’re a big Travis Kelsey fan.” I was hoping some Swifties would join me, but I’m not sure if that worked out.
This interview has been edited and condensed for space and clarity.
