Why 49ers vs. Titans is only on NFL Network for ‘Thursday Night Football’

December 23, 2021 admin

The “Thursday Night Football” finale comes to you on Christmas Eve eve, and it’s a good one.

This week’s “TNF” matchup between the 49ers and the Titans carry serious playoff implications for both teams: The Titans are scrapping to stay atop the AFC South, while the 49ers are inching closer to snagging an NFC wild card spot and coming off a commanding win over the Falcons this past Sunday.

Save the channel surfing: While “Thursday Night Football” has traditionally been on Fox earlier in the 2021 season, there’s only one network that will carry the game nationally on Thursday night, with NFL Network playing host to the matchup.

Here’s why:

MORE: Watch 49ers vs. Titans live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)

Why 49ers vs Titans is only on NFL Network

Say goodbye to Fox “Thursday Night Football” broadcasts: The network officially aired its last Thursday night game ever in Week 15 (Chiefs-Chargers) with NFL Network taking the reigns for the final Thursday game of the 2021 regular season.

In 2022, “Thursday Night Football” games move from Fox (and NFL Network) to Amazon Prime Video, exclusively. Amazon Prime already streams a number of “TNF” games throughout the year, and has since 2017.

The move is something of a gamble with an eye on the future for the NFL: The league is banking on the fact that viewers will make the jump over to the exclusive stream on Amazon Prime. The last Fox cable broadcast for “TNF” did 18 million viewers, per reports, which will be a lofty goal for the streaming service to reach.

For now, on Thursday, Dec. 23, NFL Network will be the only network to air the 49ers vs. Titans game nationally. For San Francisco and Nashville viewers, the game will be broadcast on NBC Bay Area (Channel 11, KNTV) and Fox 17 (Channel 17, WZTV), respectively.

Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen will have the call, while Pam Oliver and Kristina Pink will work the sidelines. Rules expert Mike Pereira will also be on hand for the broadcast.