BONUS: 2025 NFL Schedule Planning With Mike North! | 'It's Always Gameday In Buffalo'

·1 hr 33 min·5 clips

The NFL commissioner looks for balance and asks, 'As a fan, what am I missing?' before approving the schedule.

Hosts Matt Beauvais and Sal Capaccio interview Mike North, the NFL's Vice President of Broadcast Planning, about the upcoming 2025 schedule. North confirms the schedule is targeted for release in the second week of May, allowing time to react to the draft and free agency. He describes presenting a draft schedule to Commissioner Roger Goodell, who looks for balance and big games in key windows. North reflects on the 2024 schedule, noting how injuries and unexpected team performances affect outcomes. He shares an anecdote about former Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo calling to critique a schedule's competitive imbalance, which led to adding a senior football administrator, Dawn Ponti, to the scheduling team for a team perspective. The discussion covers how the Bills' success leads to more national TV windows, but the league tries to spread them out. International games are a major topic, with seven or eight planned, including in Dublin, Madrid, and Berlin; North explains division games can be played internationally and bye weeks are not guaranteed afterward. He details the extensive planning for international locations, considering political climates and long-term roadmaps. Holiday scheduling is addressed, with Christmas likely featuring a triple-header, including games on Netflix and Amazon. North analyzes the Bills' home opponents, suggesting high-profile games like against Kansas City or Philadelphia won't be at 1 PM. He discusses the growth of Black Friday games and potential opening Thursday night matchups for the Eagles. The conversation touches on the possibility of an 18th game, with North favoring more standings-based matchups for inventory but acknowledging competitive balance concerns.

As heard by us

Mike North's Christmas scheduling breakdown turns broadcast windows into a practical guide to how NFL fans find the Bills.

Schedule-making takes center stage as Mike North, the NFL's vice president of broadcast planning, walks through how Christmas, television partners, and fan access shape the league calendar.

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Why you'd press play

You want the inside line on why Christmas keeps showing up on the NFL calendar, with the Bills never far from the viewing-window conversation.

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