The NFL and ABC/ESPN’s recent experiment with broadcasting two simultaneous Monday Night Football games was met with mixed reviews. While the games themselves were competitive, the presentation left much to be desired.
One of the main issues was the use of the two-box device, which was intended to give viewers a look at both games at once. However, many viewers found this feature to be unnecessary, as there are already other ways to watch both games simultaneously, such as using the multiview option on YouTube TV or simply having two screens side by side.
Furthermore, there were technical problems with the two-box plan, with spoilers occurring for some viewers. For example, the action in the second game from the two-box look was ahead of the broadcast of that game for YouTube TV customers, resulting in spoilers for those watching the single screen broadcast.
This issue has prompted calls for ESPN and ABC to revamp their presentation before broadcasting two prime-time games at once, with suggestions that the split-screen presentation should be put on a different ESPN channel or not done at all. The NFL has also been urged to step in and issue a mandate to address this problem, similar to its directive for reporters not to reveal draft picks before the Commissioner announces them.
Ultimately, the NFL, ABC, and ESPN need to work together to ensure that the presentation of simultaneous games is improved to provide a better viewing experience for all fans.