The annual clash between Southern and Grambling had been a staple on NBC the last week in November for several decades.
In 2015, the 42nd annual Bayou Classic will still be televised live to a national audience except it will be moved from network TV to cable.
NBC Sports Network, home of Premier League soccer and the Stanley Cup playoffs, will broadcast one of college football’s most storied rivalry games, NBC announced Monday.
“The landscape of television sports is changing and it is important to us that the Bayou Classic continue to be an integral part of that landscape,” said Dottie Belletto, President of New Orleans.
With the move to NBC Sports Network, the Bayou Classic kickoff time will be at 4 p.m. on Nov. 28.
“This later kickoff time makes this the first time the Bayou Classic will see a prime-time matchup both in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and on broadcast,” added Belletto. “While our relationship with NBC Sports is longstanding, this new relationship opens up additional avenues to expand the breadth of Bayou Classic-related sports programming both in the game broadcast and in advance promotions and marketing efforts.”
The Bayou Classic Facebook page posted a response to the news regarding changes to the game.
“This new relationship with NBC creates additional revenue for Bayou Classic that goes DIRECTLY back to the schools to support the campuses’ athletic programs and fund student scholarships. The move to NBC Sports Network also opens up additional avenues to expand the breadth of Bayou Classic related sports programming both in the game broadcast and in advance promotions & marketing efforts. These additions will positively impact Southern, Grambling and the Bayou Classic brand overall.”
NBC had been home to the Bayou Classic since 1991.
Kendrick that is not how the Bayou Classic website is reporting this. How to you account for the discrepancies?