Inside the NFL returns to X for season two, dropping its analyst roundtable format in favor of cinematic player-driven content.
NFL logo on field before Pittsburgh Steelers-New York Jets preseason game.
Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.
As the NFL season kicks off on Wednesday, Inside the NFL is being reimagined. According to a Front Office Sports report, the long-time recap show will return to X for a second season but will no longer feature a roundtable of analysts.
Keith Cossrow, NFL Films head of content, said in a statement to Front Office Sports that the format, as currently structured with analysts, wasn't connecting with fans as they expected.
“It didn’t connect with audiences in a way that demanded it return. We didn’t think it reflected the visual quality and brand of Inside the NFL, and not having them together in one place, as we had had going all the way back to Len Dawson and Cris Collinsworth, when those guys were together, and even two years ago we shot Inside the NFL at the NFL Films studio for The CW with Clark hosting with Bill Belichick, Chris Long, and Chad,” Cossrow noted.
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Over the years, Inside the NFL has shifted broadcast homes since its long-time run on HBO and Showtime. Following the move from Showtime in 2021, Paramount aired the program on Paramount Plus and The CW. Then Inside the NFL was moved to X as its primary media distribution home in the older format. It's the latest collaborative move between the NFL and the Elon Musk-owned social media platform, which recently debuted the NFL game live feed.
“While there might not be the roundtables, they are leaning into the cinematic access that they have and the sights and sounds and player-driven content because we’ve seen how well that performs,” Mitch Smith, X's head of global partnerships, said.
The new format will continue the program's creed of giving an inside look at the NFL's biggest and most compelling matchups. New episodes will debut each Wednesday during the season.
Randall Barnes is ClutchPoints' Head of HBCU (Historically Black College or University) content and the founder of HBCU Pulse, a multimedia outlet with the mission to tell the authentic stories of HBCU Life via traditional, digital and social media outlets.