‘Monday Night Football’ stays on ESPN through 2021 (AP)

BRISTOL, Conn. – “Monday Night Football” will stay on ESPN through the 2021 season under an eight-year contract extension between the network and the NFL

Read the original:

BRISTOL, Conn. – “Monday Night Football” will stay on ESPN through the 2021 season under an eight-year contract extension between the network and the NFL.

The previous deal went through the 2013 season. After 36 years on ABC, the package moved to ESPN in 2006.

The contract announced Thursday includes rights to simulcast the games on tablet devices, expanded international rights and additional NFL programming on ESPN. That starts Thursday, when “NFL Live” stretches from 30 minutes to an hour. An extra hour will be added to “Sunday NFL Countdown.”

“Monday night, fans can watch the game on their iPad for the very first time,” ESPN/ABC Sports President George Bodenheimer said during a conference call. “From our point of view, this is a great deal for the company. It really fuels our company 24-7.”

The agreement includes 17 Monday games a season through 2021 and coverage of the Pro Bowl and NFL draft, and gives the NFL the option to show a wild-card playoff game on ESPN.

“We’ll continue to talk with them on that and make the best decisions for our fans, the NFL and ESPN,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “ESPN is so widely distributed, it’s great for our fans to experience more football.”

___

AP Sports Writer Rick Freeman contributed from New York.