ESPN to simulcast NFL wild-card playoff game on ABC

NFL returning to ABC for first time since Super Bowl XL

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. ā€“ The NFL is returning to ABC this season.

ESPN's wild-card playoff game will be simulcast on ABC for the first time, the network announced Tuesday.

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ABC will also televise ESPN's "Monday Night Countdown" pregame show.

Earlier this year, ESPN televised its first NFL playoff game when the Carolina Panthers defeated the Arizona Cardinals, 27-16.

"Our first wild-card playoff game was one of ESPN's highest-rated and most-watched events ever," ESPN President John Skipper said. "By leveraging the broadcast platform we have on ABC, the upcoming wild card will rank among the most-watched programs of the year, and we will reach even more fans during the NFL postseason."

ABC hasn't televised an NFL game since losing "Monday Night Football" to ESPN after the 2005 season. Its final NFL game was Super Bowl XL on Feb. 5, 2006.

The NFL wild-card weekend is Jan. 9-10, 2016.

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