When the NFL added two additional playoff games, CBS got the rights to one of them, with a twist: It would be broadcast both on CBS and on Nickelodeon, the ViacomCBS-owned cable channel geared toward children.
Now some details have been revealed about how that Nickelodeon simulcast, for the wild card game at 4:30 p.m. ET on January 10, will look. And yes, if you watch that one, you’ll see green slime.
“This is going to look different than a normal CBS broadcast, and I think the NFL understands that,” CBS Sports Chair Sean McManus told Sports Business Daily. “They really see the value. They are intent on reaching a younger audience. They think that’s where the fans of the future are. They think this is a really cool idea.”
The broadcast will show green slime superimposed in the end zones, the pregame show will be called “The SpongeBob SportsPants Countdown Special” and the halftime show will serve as a preview of the upcoming SpongeBob spinoff show. SpongeBob will be shown celebrating after touchdowns, and Snapchat-like filters will give players a cartoonish look on replays.
In other words, this is not your grandfather’s NFL broadcast. But the NFL wants to cater to younger fans, and Nickelodeon will give the league that option, while the majority of fans watch the normal broadcast on CBS.