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Duluth market will get Vikings-Giants

An NFL spokesman just put on his Twitter account that Duluth will now get the Vikings-Giants telecast on Fox.

December 13, 2010 at 2:06AM

The NFL has added Duluth to the cities that will be able to see Fox's telecast Monday night of the Vikings-Giants game from Ford Field in Detroit.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello posted the information on his Twitter account on Sunday evening.

That means the game will be aired in the Twin Cities on KMSP (Ch. 9) as well as in Mankato, Rochester and now Duluth. Mankato and Rochester are considered "secondary" markets for the Vikings.

Those are the only markets in Minnesota scheduled to get the game at this point. The other option is that DirecTV will air the game as part of its "Sunday Ticket" package for viewers who wouldn't normally have access.

For those curious why the game is being shown in such a limited area there is a simple reason. ESPN has the Monday night contract and pays big money to have one game all to itself each Monday. The Vikings-Giants will now compete with the Baltimore-Houston game and ESPN wants to limit the viewing competition as much as possible.

Meanwhile, the NFL Network will re-air the Vikings-Giants game at 11 p.m. Monday.

Vikings executives issue statements

On a crazy day, these statements pretty much speak for themselves so here you go:

On the economic impact of moving the Vikings-Giants game to Detroit… Steve LaCroix, VP of Sales/Marketing, CMO
"As you can imagine there are many complexities in moving a game, not only for the Minnesota Vikings but also for the New York Giants as well as Ford Field and their operations. The Vikings are grateful to the NFL, the Detroit Lions and Fox for their quick actions in resolving tomorrow night's game. "Our organization has been solely focused on ensuring as smooth a transition as possible for our football team and our fans. We will not begin to delve into the economic ramifications until we have taken care of the more pressing needs of our fans, our business partners and our football team." On how the Metrodome's situation affects the new stadium issue…
Lester Bagley, VP Public Affairs, Stadium Development
"The Vikings main concern is the safety of our fans and those working within the Metrodome -- fortunately there were no injuries when the roof collapsed. It is not appropriate to discuss the new stadium issue today. Those conversations will occur in due time."