The Cincinnati Bengals appear in five primetime games next season on the initial 2024 NFL schedule, with roughly half their games sitting in a national-type spotlight given the presence of late-afternoon kickoffs.
It’s just more proof the Bengals have become a hot commodity for the league during the Joe Burrow era.
Actually hearing it from those in charge of the schedule is always interesting, though.
Mike North, the NFL’s vice president of broadcast planning, told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com the following about Cincinnati’s prominent spot on the schedule next season:
“Every time a fan interacts with the National Football League, they’re telling us what they care about. Whether watching television, listening to a podcast, buying a hat or jersey, putting a player on their fantasy team, following someone on Instagram, and the Bengals are getting to be one of those top-tier teams our fans care about week in and week out.”
What’s interesting is how North talks about the late-afternoon kickoffs, too. While not “primetime” games, he told Hobson that those 4:25 p.m. ET kickoffs do 28-30 million people, compared to 16-18 million for a Monday night game.
So, looking at Cincinnati’s schedule that way, it’s pretty clear just how much the league values the Bengals as an attraction right now, which is all based on fan response in the first place.
