CBS Wins 'Thursday Night Football' Rights, 'Big Bang Theory' to Monday?

Credit: CBS

CBS has won the bid for Thursday Night Football, but what does that mean for TV's No. 1 comedy?

The current deal stipulates that CBS must air eight NFL games in the middle of the fall season, meaning that the Thursday night comedies will either have to go on hiatus, premiere at a later point in the season, or move to a different night. With the departure of Monday night mainstay How I Met Your Mother, it seems reasonable that The Big Bang Theory, TV's top comedy, might move back to its original Monday night home.

The eight games scheduled to air will also be simulcast on the NFL Network. In addition, NFL Net will televise eight late-season games in the build to the playoffs, making for a total of 16 games in all.

“We are very pleased to build on our outstanding partnership with the NFL by expanding our coverage to Thursday nights,” said CBS CEO Moonves in a statement. “CBS is a premium content company and the NFL represents the best premium content there is. I look forward to all this new deal will do for us not only on Thursday nights, but across our entire schedule.”

This past year boasted Thursday Night Football's most-watched season ever, averaging roughly 8 million viewers, for a 10 percent increase from 2012. So even if CBS has to sacrifice a sure-thing with Thursday night Big Bang Theory, they're virtually guaranteed a huge audience on Thursday nights regardless. Well, for eight weeks, anyway.

Via: TVLine