List of World Bowl broadcasters
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The following is a list of the television networks and announcers who broadcast the World Bowl. The World Bowl was the championship game of the now defunct NFL Europa (and its forerunner, the World League of American Football).
Background[edit]
In the United States, television coverage from 1991–92 was provided by the ABC and USA Network. The reported cost of the contracts varied. According to the Los Angeles Times, ABC committed to $28 million over two years, and USA Network committed to $25 million for the same length of time with an additional two-year option. Ratings were characterized as "poor" in the inaugural season, with ABC averaging a 2.1 rating and USA Network averaging a 1.2 rating.[1] Television ratings in the United States were "dismal" during the league's second season, with ABC averaging a 1.7 rating and USA Network averaging a 1.1 rating.[1] As a result, ABC's payment was reduced to $3 million while USA saw theirs lowered to $10 million. According to The New York Times, USA Network was "not happy" with this arrangement and did not heavily promote the league as a result.[2]
International teams aired on different domestic networks. Montreal Machine games were aired in English on TSN and in French on RDS.[3] Coverage in Europe was mostly on satellite television. Eurosport showed games on delay and Super Channel aired the 1991 World Bowl.[4] In the United Kingdom, Channel 4 showed half-hour highlights of Monarchs games on Saturday mornings.[4] Larry Eichel of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that "The only way a Monarchs fan could watch the team's first-round playoff game from the Meadowlands was to go to Wembley to see it on closed circuit."[4]
From 1995–2007, league's United Kingdom television coverage was mainly on Sky Sports, with additional coverage also on Channel 4,[5][6] STV,[5][6] and Carlton.[5][6] Eight European continental broadcasters also showed games,[5][6] including Germany's Vox and DSF.[5][6]
Although the league no longer had any U.S. teams, it was covered on American television until its closure. Fox became a co-owner of the league in exchange for broadcasting rights, and following the relaunch all regular season games were broadcast on the FX network.[7] Fox ended its joint ownership with the league in 2000, but continued to air some games as a television partner.[8] In 2004, NFL Network began airing select NFL Europe games.[9] This was expanded to cover all NFL Europe games – including the World Bowl – in 2006.[10]
List of television broadcasters[edit]
| World Bowl number | Year | Network | Play-by-play man | Color commentator(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XV | 2007 | NFL Network | Bob Papa | Brian Baldinger | |||
| XIV | 2006 | NFL Network | Curt Menefee | Brian Baldinger | |||
| XIII | 2005 | Fox | Curt Menefee | Brian Baldinger | |||
| XII | 2004 | Fox | Curt Menefee | Brian Baldinger | |||
| XI | 2003 | Fox | Curt Menefee | Brian Baldinger | |||
| X | 2002 | Fox | Curt Menefee | Brian Baldinger | |||
| IX | 2001 | Fox | Curt Menefee | Brian Baldinger | |||
| VIII | 2000 | Fox | Sam Rosen | Bill Maas | |||
| VII | 1999 | Fox | Sam Rosen | Matt Millen and Bill Maas | |||
| VI | 1998 | Fox | Tim Ryan | Bill Maas and Ronnie Lott | |||
| V | 1997 | Fox | Kevin Harlan | Matt Millen and Bill Maas | |||
| IV | 1996 | Fox | Kevin Harlan | Matt Millen and Bill Maas | |||
| III | 1995 | Fox | |||||
| 1994 | Not played | ||||||
| 1993 | |||||||
| II[11] | 1992 | USA | Brad Nessler | Boomer Esiason | |||
| I | 1991 | ABC | Brent Musburger | Dick Vermeil | |||
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Dufresne, Chris (May 21, 1991). "Europe Takes to WLAF, but Will It Catch On Here?". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
- ^ Smith, Timothy W. (May 7, 1992). "World League vs. N.F.L., In a Board Room, That Is". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 27, 2014. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
- ^ Deacon, James (April 15, 1991). "Football in spring". Maclean's. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ a b c Eichel, Larry (June 8, 1991). "In Europe, WLAF's Game Was More Than Football". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Halling, Nick (June 19, 1995). "WLAF to build on a fitting finale". The Independent. Archived from the original on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Halling, Nick (April 13, 1996). "Three-pronged attack in quest for credibility". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 28, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
- ^ Kepner, Tyler (June 22, 1997). "In Another World, the WLAF's No Longer Young or Restless". Washington Post. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ Marvel, Alex (April 21, 2001). "Too Much Football". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "NFL Network To Air 22 NFL Europe Games". Green Bay Packers. March 18, 2004. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- ^ "All 31 NFL Europe League Games To Air On NFL Network In 2006". Green Bay Packers. March 5, 2006. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- ^ "World Bowl 92 (TV Special 1992)". IMDb.com. Retrieved May 15, 2024.