NFL on Nickelodeon

The NFL on Nickelodeon is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that are produced by CBS Sports, and broadcast on the American pay television channel Nickelodeon. In 2021, Nickelodeon hosted a one-time simulcast in coordination with CBS of the Chicago Bears–New Orleans Saints Wild Card game. This would mark the first time that a major live sporting event would be broadcast on the channel.
Background.
In December 2019, Viacom re-merged with CBS Corporation to form ViacomCBS. As part of the merger, CBS announced plans to add content from Nickelodeon to its All Access streaming service. Additionally, the National Football League announced that Nickelodeon would air a youth-specific broadcast of an early 2021 Wild Card playoff game that CBS Sports acquired the rights to, marking the first major live sporting event on the channel. The broadcast had the inclusion of Nickelodeon cartoon branding as well as commentary from Nick stars Gabrielle Green and Lex Lumpkin.
According to Brian Robbins, president of ViacomCBS Kids & Family Entertainment, their game plan was to make sure that the NFL Wild Card Game on Nickelodeon lived up to its name by infusing the telecast with Nick's sensibility of surprise and fun at almost every turn. Robbins added that Nickelodeon was proud to team up with CBS Sports and the NFL to elevate the thrill of this game for kids and families to enjoy together. Meanwhile, CBS Sports coordinating producer Shawn Robbins said that having a platform like Nickelodeon is a great way to reach kids, since it's so top of class. He added that Nickelodeon would be a great place introduce kids to the game.
Tag Garson, the senior vice president of properties at the Wasserman Media Group, had long been a proponent of alternate broadcasts going back to his days at ESPN because of his believe that viewers, especially younger ones, continued to be more fragmented by the way they watch and consume various types of content. According to Garson, the NFL's reach allows for the different types of distribution that were seen on January 10, 2021. In Garson's view, the networks were also looking to program the other channels with the content they have own. If they are not paying additional rights fees to do that but give a different look, it provides a wider reach while giving channels programming.
CBS Sports’ ad sales team handled the ad sales for both telecasts. While a majority of the advertisements for the Bears-Saints game would be the same across both the CBS and Nickelodeon broadcasts, Nickelodeon would still have some different ads more that were tailored to its younger audience.
Tie-ins.
During the week of the game, "Madden NFL 21"'s "The Yard" mode was updated with "SpongeBob SquarePants" themed content, including a Bikini Bottom-themed "reef-top" stadium, and "SpongeBob"-themed modifiers. Immediately prior to the game, Nickelodeon aired a sports-themed "SpongeBob" clip show, "The SpongeBob SportsPants Countdown Special," which was hosted by Burleson.
Nickelodeon in correlation with the National Football League, also launched a website with sports betting-like elements such as free-to-play games and risk-free gambling. More specifically, users of the site would get the chance to pick who would win the game, which would in return, compare to the public pick. The user could receive points which could be exchanged for prizes and rewards. The NFL Nick Play website also featured the ability to collect "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "The Loud House"-themed content via QR codes.
The game was preceded by a half-hour "SpongeBob SquarePants" clip show focusing on the series' top sports-related moments, while a preview of new Paramount+ spin-off was featured at halftime. In an additional cross-promotional effort, "SpongeBob-"themed content was also added to "Madden NFL 21"'s "The Yard" mode during the week of the game.
Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller was originally supposed to host "The SpongeBob SportsPants Countdown Special" instead of Nate Burleson, but was not present. It was later revealed on January 15, that Miller was under an unknown criminal investigation in Colorado. A preview of the new "SpongeBob SquarePants" spin-off series, "", was also aired at halftime.
Broadcast incidents.
Referee Alex Kemp's open microphone caught Chicago Bears wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson saying “What the fuck?” in reaction to a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct after he voluntarily ran out of bounds during a punt. Patterson later claimed he did not utter the expletive. At the time, Kemp mistakenly called the penalty on #85, tight end Cole Kmet, instead of Patterson's #84. 
Despite his team's loss and completing only 19 passes for 199 yards, Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky won the online voting for the NVP, or Nickelodeon Valuable Player award with 49% of the votes after podcast host Dan Katz had led an online campaign with the Twitter hashtag #Mitch4NVP, encouraging viewers to submit multiple votes for Trubisky. He was presented a trophy, adorned with the Nickelodeon blimp. Chicago defensive end Akiem Hicks and New Orleans defensive end Cameron Jordan came finished second and third in voting, respectively.
After having volunteered to do so, Saints head coach Sean Payton was slimed after his team's 21–9 victory. Payton said that the slime was pretty cold and felt like unfinished Jell-O. A communication disconnect prevented Cameron Jordan from join Payton in the sliming like sideline reporter Lex Lumpkin tried to do.
On-air staff.
As previously mentioned, the January 10, 2021 broadcast tied Nickelodeon elements into a live NFL game played between the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints, including animation and "All That" cast members Gabrielle Nevaeh Green and Lex Lumpkin joining Noah Eagle (son of CBS announcer Ian Eagle and a Los Angeles Clippers broadcaster) and Nate Burleson from "The NFL Today" on the announcing team.
Eagle said “The idea was to captivate and cultivate a new fan base, younger people who might not otherwise watch the game. We wanted to explain enough so that those people, those kids watching their first football game, could have at least a general understanding of what was happening.” Eagle added that he planned on "getting the basics in there" but always keeping in mind that he's speaking to "an 11-year-old who maybe hasn't tried football before." When recalling the moment that Nickelodeon asked him to take part in the broadcast, Eagle said that it was something that really catered to his interests.
Eagle added that when he calls Los Angeles Clippers basketball games, he like to blend and blur the lines between sports, entertainment, pop culture, TV, movies, music, etc. That is something according to Eagle, that Nickelodeon is literally built for. Accordingly, Cara Cooper of the "Martinsville Bulletin" wrote that most young adults’ first experiences with sports came through Nickelodeon with game shows such as "Double Dare", "GUTS", and "Legends of the Hidden Temple". Incidentally, on the first flag of the Saints-Bears game, Nate Burleson noted that it wasn't “like a flag in "Double Dare"” that was pulled and passed along when the competitor got to the end of the slime-filled tract.
With that being said, James Dator of SB Nation wrote that "There’s a bell curve to how much this kind of presentation works. If you know nothing about football it’s perfect. If you’re semi-knowledgeable and want to know a little more, then you’re not going to learn much. If you’re a veteran football watcher and gain little from a traditional broadcast, then why not watch something that’s based on pure fun?"
Meanwhile, Burleson said in reaction to Nickelodeon asking him to serve as analyst “I knew old shows on Nickelodeon, but I didn’t want to be Mr. Retro. I asked them, 'What are the newest ones? What are they coming out with in 2021? What are the characters that really stand out to you guys?’” And when explaining the rules of the game on a base level to novice football viewers, Burleson said “Gaining the 10 yards is like little homework assignments, and then you get into the red zone, and that’s like the test.” Burleson also described being tackled as feeling like “falling down wooden stairs.”
While Noah Eagle was tasked with describing the play-by-play action, and Nate Burleson there to break down the more complicated aspects of football into understandable terms, 15 year old Gabrielle Nevaeh Green was there to offer insights and asks questions as a stand-in for young viewers unfamiliar with the sport. During the January 10 telecast, the crew tried to explain to viewers the play clock's importance, why third down plays are crucial, and the meaning of what a catch actually is.
According to Green, who became the first female to commentate in a CBS booth during the NFL playoffs, she was going to up there with Eagle and Burleson to provide some fun for the kids at home. She added that she was very new to football and felt like a lot of kids and families at home who were going to be watching the broadcast would be new as well, and that's what's was so special about this. Green said that Nickelodeon would be bringing football to a brand-new audience and that it would be a lot of fun. Green also believed that it would inspire girls like her and this will let them know you can do anything you put your mind to. Green in the process, was accidentally given CBS analyst Tony Romo’s 800-page game notes package.
Green's "All That" co-star Lex Lumpkin, who would serve as a sideline reporter for the game, said that Nickelodeon was going to be up close and personal with the players. Lumpkin also stressed that bringing both the NFL and Nickelodeon together for the first time, as well as a new look and new feel would be amazing. Lumpkin claimed that while he didn't specifically reach out to other sideline reporters, he did do research in watching them and seeing how they did it. Lumpkin more specifically, watched how they reacted to certain things and what they might have said when they were up.
Digital on-screen graphics.
Although Disney XD had aired the Pro Bowl in the past few years, the game broadcast was just a simulcast feed from ABC and ESPN. The Wild Card Game on Nickelodeon in contrast, would feature an exclusive broadcast targeting a kids audience. On that end, the graphics would feature the current CBS Sports template with a modified design that will tie more into the Nickelodeon brand. Therefore, Nickelodeon labeled their approach to broadcasting the NFL as being "Nick-ified" in order to create a buzz with its fresh approach. Nickelodeon used pulsing green-and-orange 
Nickelodeon worked with the agency Elevation to develop the branding and on-air look for the January 11, 2020 broadcast. Elevation noted that the Nickelodeon's classic orange and slime-green colors were the starting point for the look. They intended on bringing in football-themed visuals along with characters from key Nickelodeon shows. Elevation then developed animation tests for the in-game graphics and the promo toolkit. Nickelodeon's in-house team further developed the in-game graphics along with CBS Sports and the a sports technology and data company SMT. Ultimately, over 125 clips were used throughout with 22 minutes of animation appearing with the game. The first-down lines were created by the aforementioned SMT. A trial run was conducted during the Philadelphia Eagles-Green Bay Packers game on December 6, 2020 to test the graphics, animation and filters. 
Iain Armitage, in character as Sheldon Cooper from the TV series "Young Sheldon" appeared over the scoring bug to explain to viewers the rules such as a false start. A giant version of SpongeBob SquarePants appeared between the crossbars during field goal attempts. SpongeBob SquarePants also appeared in player stat graphics to include their “Favorite snack” and “Favorite classic Nick show”. Meanwhile, analyst Nate Burleson called the red zone "the money zone", as he drew a dollar bill sign on the cartoon-like graphic.
Nickelodeon's broadcast as a whole, aimed to focus less on stats and more on fun facts about the players—such as a player's favorite flavor of ice cream or even a "tale of the tape" between New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara and Alvin the Chipmunk. Not only that, but Nickelodeon also put important team relationships in terms they feel their audience can understand such as Drew Brees and Taysom Hill of the New Orelans Saints and SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star. Nickelodeon even put up a graphic depicting Patrick Star "trolling" Bears wide receiver Javon Wims after he dropped the ball that would've resulted in a wide-open touchdown. Speaking of Drew Brees, Nate Burleson on the January 10 broadcast compared him to being like the kid at recess who never misses at dodgeball.
For highlight reels, Nickelodeon implemented digital, comic strip-like animation such as white smoke, green slime, blue lightening, players were given superimposed googly eyes and hamburger hats, as well as a dancing Lincoln Loud from "The Loud House".
And whenever a player scored a touchdown, two augumented reality green slime-cannons set off on both sides of the endzone or the "slime zone" as Nickelodeon dubbed it. Nickelodeon's broadcast also featured pixelated halftime highlights that were presented in an all block graphic style similar to the video game "Minecraft".
According to Shawn Robbins, coordinating producer at CBS Sports, Cameras 1 and 3 are usually pushed in after a touchdown during a standard "NFL on CBS" broadcast. But for Nickelodeon's production, they would lose the augmented reality effect of the slime cannons if the shot isn't wide. In total, Nickelodeon had eight of its own cameras and five EVS replay servers as well as access to the 18 camera signals for the standard CBS broadcast. Nickelodeon also had three replay editors working remotely using Hawkeye. Two would work on the CBS broadcast and the third on the Nickelodeon broadcast. Jason Cohen, VP, remote technical operations at CBS Sports added that there are hard and field-level cameras that would frame shots in certain ways. The Nickelodeon editors would from there, be allowed to take that footage and uniquely repurpose it Tampa bay buccaneers.
Ratings.
The January 10, 2021 broadcast on Nickelodeon drew approximately 2 million viewers. This was a 245 percent increase from the previous year's time slot. According to Nickelodeon, it was most-watched program among total viewers in nearly four years. Combined with the roughly 30 million viewers who watched the Saints-Bears game on CBS, then approximately 30.653 million viewers watched in total. This was the biggest audience that CBS received for a Sunday wild card playoff game since . That figure was still 13% down from the same window from the previous year though, when the Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles pulled in 35.12 million viewers on NBC.
According to a poll conducted by Morning Consult, more than 70% of parents said they would watch a game like that with kids after showing them a one-minute clip of highlights to give them a sense of Nickelodeon's broadcast. Two-thirds said that Alphas would enjoy the Nickelodeon broadcast more than the traditional version on CBS.
Shortly there afterward, CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus said CBS Sports was open for more sports experiments with ViacomCBS properties. McManus added that he put specific emphasis on how are they going to broadcast the game itself and still make it attractive to audiences of all ages. The Nickelodeon-NFL broadcast of the NFL Wild Card playoff game itself, took nine months to put together. McManus previously said that a major factor in CBS wanting to get one of the two extra playoff games in 2020-21 was in order for them to place a dual, kids-focused broadcast on Nickelodeon. McManus also said that the NFL understood that the broadcast on Nickelodeon than was going to look different than a normal CBS NFL broadcast. He added that the NFL really saw the value and are intent on reaching a younger audience since that's where the fans of the future are.
Reception.
Reaction on social media to Nickelodeon's telecast of the Chicago Bears-New Orleans Saints playoff game on January 11 was mostly positive, with adults applauding the fun the network was having.
Tim Keown of "ESPN.com", even though he thought the game was "terrible", said in a review, "the Nick broadcast was a hell of a lot of fun, maybe the best experience I've had watching a game this season." The poor offensive play didn't hurt his enjoyment of the broadcast, calling it, "nice to hang out in a place where nobody seemed to care." Meanwhile, Conor Orr of "Sports Illustrated" praised the looser feel and nature compared to most NFL broadcasts, saying, "I left Sunday’s game with no doubt that football would be completely fine if we yanked the business pants off the current operation like Nickelodeon did over the weekend and allowed the things we like about the sport to speak for themselves. If we embraced the goofiness of the entire thing." 
Phil Rosenthal of the "Chicago Tribune" wrote that as an alternative to CBS’ standard coverage with Jim Nantz and Tony Romo on the call, Nickelodeon did a nice job helping educate youngsters about pro football and brighten a not-so-exciting playoff game between the Saints and Bears. As for the commentating crew, Rosenthal said that Nickelodeon stars Lex Lumpkin and Gabrielle Nevaeh Green were good company and sweetly genuine despite their scripted material being hit or miss. Meanwhile, Rosenthal praised the work of play-by-play announcer Noah Eagle and analyst Nate Burleson, who according to Rosenthal, managed to keep things light all the while, explaining what was happening in the game and what it meant. Rosenthal also summarized that while the sheer novelty of Nickelodeon's animation and special effects faded, it never vanished and that it was overall, wonderfully goofy.
Former St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner wrote on Twitter that his 31-year-old son Zach, who suffered a traumatic brain injury at four months old and is legally blind, had never sat and watched a football game him until Nickelodeon's broadcast of the Saints-Bears game on January 10. Additionally, Doug Farrar of Yahoo Sports said that Nickelodeon's broadcast was an absolutely delightful experience from start to finish. 
Farrar in particular, noted that one of the best things about the broadcast is that the younger broadcasters like Gabrielle Neveah Green asked intelligent questions, and the more experienced football people like Nate Burleson actually managed to give the answers back without a hint of condescension. Wes McElroy of the "Richmond Times-Dispatch" also praised Burleson and Noah Eagle for explaining the game to a younger audience without being condescending. This included how the first down markers work, why the challenge flag is red and penalty flag is yellow, and taking a moment when Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet threw the ball and using it as an example on how to use your words not your actions.
Emily Ohman of "The Daily Californian" said that the broadcast maintained a healthy balance of kid-friendly and playoff-football-surly while Nickelodeon's animations were creative, educational and endlessly entertaining, and the broad. According to Ohman, the biggest success from Nickelodeon's broadcast was that it addressed head-on the gatekeeping that bars people from enjoying football. Ohman noted that such gatekeepers have prevented a large portion of the population from enjoying football, whether from a lack of prior knowledge or the exclusive nature of the game. Instead, Ohman believed that Nickelodeon's broadcast was influential because it made a space for every type of audience member, whether it would be the novice, the casual follower, the superfan, the kid, the adult, the boy, or the girl. Ohman in particular, Nickelodeon, in their approach to creating an educational type of NFL broadcast, still kept the lighthearted and profoundly pleasing outlook that they are known for.
Criticism.
The announcement of Nickelodeon broadcasting its first ever NFL game was not without skepticism and concern. Especially in regards to how or if the network would confront the realities of playing such a brutal sport and the risks of sustaining brain trauma for its young audience. During the January 12 broadcast, Christopher Nowinski, co-founder and CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, co-founder of the Boston University CTE Center said on Twitter "That’ll get kids killed." in reaction to analyst Nate Burleson comparing New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill hitting his head to scraping your knee at recess.
Another concern was raised regarding whether or not Nickelodeon's website, NFL Nick Play, which created and targeted printable "pick’em sheets" for children to select winners of that week's NFL games, was appropriate. Critics have argued that something like this is ingraining betting habits at a young age. NFL Nick Play also includes little quizzes on the different positions in football, information on how those positions work, and how the game plays out.
Praveen Nair of the "UCSD Guardian" said that it was frustrating that the Nickelodeon broadcast cut to the commentators for the couple minutes after Bears wide receiver Anthony Miller was ejected for punching Saints safety C. J. Gardner-Johnson in the face without explaining what was happening on the field.
"Nickelodeon Super Duper Super Bowl Pregame Spectacular".
Nickelodeon also participated in tie-ins for Super Bowl LV, also televised by CBS. Nickelodeon aired a half-hour special, The Nickelodeon Super Duper Super Bowl Pregame Spectacular, which was hosted by Gabrielle Nevaeh Green and Lex Lumpkin, and executive produced by Shawn Robbins and Barry Smoler. It featured "Nick-ified" season highlights, and other segments previewing the game. The special premiered on February 5, 2021, and repeated throughout Super Bowl weekend. 
Although a full Nickelodeon telecast was not aired (as the Super Bowl was broadcast only by CBS to maximize viewership), CBS Sports and Nickelodeon produced themed content throughout the game for its social media platforms, including video highlights presented by Noah Eagle and Green with similar filters and visual effects to the Wild Card Game broadcast. 
Nickelodeon also contributed segments to the main telecast on CBS, including a special NFL-themed edition of "Nickelodeon's Unfiltered" as a segment during "The Super Bowl Today", and a "slime-lights" package that was aired during the Rocket Mortgage Halftime Report, led by Nate Burleson.
CBS had considered airing the Super Bowl on Nickelodeon, before the pregame special, the "Unfiltered Super Bowl Today" segment, and the Nick-ified highlights package were announced. However, CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus did say that they will “think about doing potential Nickelodeon broadcasts for the NFL and other sports down the road.”
Future of the NFL on Nickelodeon.
On March 18, 2021, Richard Deitsch of "The Athletic" asked Sean McManus about the future of Nickelodeon-style NFL games. McManus said that there's a section in the new CBS deal regarding alternate telecasts such as the Nick game, but not weekly.