Dec 19, 2006, 21:07 GMT
New York, NY - The Arena Football League announced a five- year agreement with ESPN on Tuesday, giving the network rights to a minimum of 26 games and minority ownership of the league.
ESPN will televise a minimum of 17 regular-season games and nine playoff games -- including a minimum of three Wild Card games, three Divisional Playoff games, both Conference Championships and the ArenaBowl -- on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. ESPN will also have an exclusive window for weekly Monday night prime time games on ESPN2 -- continuing to establish Monday night as the football night for fans year-round.
ESPN purchased the minority ownership stake in the AFL as part of the deal.
The 2007 AFL coverage will kick off on ABC with a pair of regional games on Sunday, March 4. ABC will broadcast ArenaBowl XXI live on Saturday, July 29 at 3 p.m. (et) from New Orleans Arena.
© 2006 The Sports Network
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