The NFL has signed a deal with ITV to be the new free-to-air television home in the UK and Ireland after penning a three-year deal.
Laura Woods will be the new host of the coverage, with Jason Bell and Osi Umenyiora still acting as analysts for the UK’s Gridiron coverage.
The 2022 season kicks off on 9 September when defending Super Bowl champions Los Angeles Rams take on the Buffalo Bills.
And ITV will bring the first of the channel’s hour-long weekly shows on the same day at at 11.30pm.
The deal will bring the climax of the season, Super Bowl LVII, live from Glendale, Arizona, on 12 February 2023.
While ITV will also show two of the season’s three London Games; the New York Giants against the Green Bay Packers at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 9 October before the Jacksonville Jaguars face the Denver Broncos at Wembley Stadium on 30 October.
The new deal sees the NFL back on ITV for the first time since the network aired the last of its three consecutive Super Bowls in 2007.
After joining ITV’s coverage, Woods said: “I’ve been a fan of the NFL for many years, so, with the new season just weeks away, I’m thrilled to be part of the team that will bring ITV viewers its best action and biggest stories each week.”
Umenyiora added: “We have seen the NFL grow to a level I could never have imagined from when I played here for the Giants in 2007. This new partnership can see us bringing the sport to an even broader audience. We have felt so embraced by British fans and we are excited that they will be able to watch us on ITV.”
While Bell said: “I can’t believe the growth of the NFL, not only in the UK but globally, and I’m so grateful to be at the forefront of that. I can’t wait to expand the NFL audience with the new team at ITV. Osi and I are excited to be working with Laura and I know that our passion and energy will be exactly what existing NFL followers expect from us, as well as opening the eyes of new fans.”
