- Jan. '03: Steve Bornstein hired full-time as NFL's Executive Vice President, Media and NFL Network's President & CEO.
- Mar. '03: At annual league meetings, owners unanimously approve funding and timetable to launch NFL Network.
- Apr. '03: Appoint longtime ABC & ESPN executive Howard Katz as the new Chief Operating Officer of NFL Films.
- June '03 Rich Eisen becomes the face of NFL Network, hired to anchor NFL Total Access, the flagship show.
- July '03: Began hiring rest of staff. In the Los Angeles studio where the signature show NFL Total Access is telecast, 56 people hired, plus 30 in the League office in New York. This is in addition to the NFL Films staff in Mt. Laurel where 275 people are employed and contribute to NFL Network.
- Nov. '03: Officially launch to more than 11 million homes, making it the most successful debut of any sports network in the history of cable and satellite television.
- Jan. '04: Signed first cable distribution deal with Charter Communications, the third largest cable operator in the country which reaches 25 of our 30 NFL team markets and 6.4 million homes.
- Feb. '04: Sign second cable distribution deal with Insight, the ninth largest cable operator in the U.S. representing 1.4 million homes.
- Feb. '04: Provide first television coverage inside the NFL Scouting Combine, airing six hours from the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.
- Mar. '04: Four months to the day the network was launched, receive three Sports Emmy nominations -- all based on 58 days of eligibility in 2003.
- Mar. '04: Covered League's annual meetings and aired footage that included the live vote for instant replay.
- Apr. '04: First-ever live games air on NFL Network, featuring 22 NFL Europe contests.
- Apr. '04: NFL Network wins first Sports Emmy, becoming the youngest network in the history of the Sports Emmys to garner an award.
- May '04: Announce plans to televise 54 preseason NFL games -- all the available games that the league broadcast partners are not airing.
- Jun. '04: Kenny Albert, Dan Fouts & Terrell Davis hired to call preseason games.
- July '04: Hire recently retired players Rod Woodson & Lincoln Kennedy as analysts.
- Aug. '04: Sign affiliation agreement with the country's largest cable company, Comcast Corporation during month channel airs 54 preseason NFL games.
- Nov. '04: Celebrate one-year anniversary with 22 million subscribers.
- Jan. '05: Sign affiliation agreement with Adelphia Communications.
- Mar. '05: NFL Network nominated for four Sports Emmy awards.
- Apr. '05: Sign affiliation agreement with Cox Communications.
- May '05: Garner second Sports Emmy award.
- May '05: Sign 73rd distribution agreement -- in 18 months -- securing 26 million subscribers.
- May '05: Launch NFL Network in Mexico, making Mexico the first country outside the U.S. to carry the channel.
- July '05: Hire former head coach Butch Davis and former player Brian Baldinger as analysts.
- Aug. '05: Televise Buffalo Bills-Green Bay Packers scrimmage, believed to be the first-time a scrimmage airs nationally. This show kicks off the first of many unique preseason shows, including eight special Inside Training Camp shows, seven live preseason whip-around shows and 55 preseason games in 25 days.
- Aug. '05: Hire the NFL's all-time rushing leader Emmitt Smith as an analyst.
- Sept. '05: Sign affiliation agreement with Dish Network. This deal pushes NFL Network's subscriber count to 35 million in the U.S.
- Sept. '05: Sign affiliation agreements with seven new distributors in Canada and Mexico, growing NFL Network's distribution internationally to nearly five million subscribers.
- Sept. '05: Debut two new programs. Coachspeak Plus and Six Days to Sunday.
- Nov. '05: Celebrate second anniversary by becoming only the second network ever (TNT) to secure 35 million subscribers inside of two years.
- Jan. '06: Coors Light becomes NFL Network's first presenting sponsor, signing on to become the official sponsor of NFL Network's coverage of Super Bowl XL.
- Jan. '06: Latest Beta Cable Operator Carriage Study ranks NFL Network first among measured emerging and mid-sized networks. Among non-affiliates, 72 percent were very/fairly interested in carrying NFL Network by the end of 2006.
- Jan. '06: On Jan. 28, 2006, the NFL announces it has awarded NFL Network a package of primetime regular season games. The eight-game package will air on Thursday and/or Saturday nights beginning on Thanksgiving, 2006.
- Feb. '06: NFL Network announces plans to advertise for the third consecutive year during the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl XL spot on ABC is dubbed "NFL Nation" and is a sixty second spot using recognizable NFL stars to promote NFL Network.
- Feb. '06: For the first time, four different media platforms will replay the commercials from the Super Bowl. NFL Network airs commercials from Super Bowl XL on the linear channel, on Video-On-Demand, on NFL.com and on NFL Mobile via Sprint Wireless.
- Mar. '06: NFL Network becomes the official and exclusive home to NFL Europe for the 2006 season. All 31 games, 30 regular season, plus the World Bowl will be televised by NFL Network between March 18 and May 27, 2006.
- Apr. '06: On April 13, NFL Network announces the hiring of former ABC college football and golf producer Mark Loomis. Loomis is tabbed to serve as NFL Network's primetime games lead producer. In addition, John Gonzalez, a 30-year NBC veteran director who has directed four Super Bowls and worked NFL games for 23 years, was named as the director for the games airing on NFL Network.
- Apr. '06: On April 24, NFL Network announces it has secured rights to re-air NFL games. For the first time in the 87-year history of the NFL, games will air outside of their live window. NFL Replay will air four re-airs per week, two each on Tuesday and Wednesdays of the week following the original game.
- Apr. '06: On April 25, NFL Network acquires the exclusive television rights to the Senior Bowl, the most prominent college football all-star game played annually in Mobile, Alabama and featuring more than 100 college seniors who are eligible for the NFL draft.
- Apr. '06: On April 26, NFL Network announces Bryant Gumbel and Cris Collinsworth will form NFL Network's broadcast booth when it begins televising regular season games during the 2006 season. Gumbel and Collinsworth are widely recognized for their candor, professionalism and breadth of knowledge and experience -- which will instantly distinguish NFL Network's game coverage.
- Apr. '06: On April 29, NFL Network televises gavel-to-gavel live coverage of the first day of the NFL Draft for the first time in its 30-month history. Rich Eisen, draft expert Mike Mayock and current St. Louis Rams safety Corey Chavous host the program from a set inside Radio City Music Hall. Paul Burmeister and former coaches Butch Davis and Dan Reeves man the "Front Office" set from NFL Films in New Jersey, while Derrin Horton and current players Brentson Buckner, Jason Witten and Muhsin Muhammad host the "Players Set" in Los Angeles.
- May '06 NFL Network becomes the official and exclusive home of the Insight Bowl, one of college football's annual bowl games matching teams from the Big 12 and Big 10. The Insight Bowl is played in late December.
- June '06: NFL Network adds two more college bowl games to its roster; the Texas Bowl and the All-American Classic. The Texas Bowl is played at Reliant Stadium in Houston on Thursday, December 28, featuring one team from the Big 12 Conference against a team from the Big East Conference. The All-American Classic features more than 100 college all-stars competing in an East vs. West format.
- June '06: NFL Network announces its first Sunday night highlights show, NFL GameDay. NFL GameDay is the most extensive NFL highlights show on television with unlimited use of highlights of all Sunday games plus post-game press conferences, interviews and analysis.
- July '06: Former 49ers and Lions head coach Steve Mariucci joins NFL Network. Mariucci appears on the Sunday night highlights show NFL GameDay, NFL Total Access and NFL Network's regular season game pregame show, NFL Total Access On Location.
- Aug '06: More than 14 hours of 2006 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement weekend coverage including a two-hour pre-ceremony show, the entire induction ceremony, a one-hour post-ceremony show and a two-hour Hall of Fame game pregame show. The coverage was anchored by Rich Eisen with analyst Steve Mariucci.
- Aug '06: NFL Network adds former NFL MVP running back Marshall Faulk. Faulk becomes an analyst on NFL Total Access.
- Aug '06: Former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Deion Sanders joins NFL Network as an analyst. Mariucci appears on the Sunday night highlights show NFL GameDay and NFL Network's regular season game pregame show, NFL Total Access On Location.
- Aug '06: NFL Network announces new college football highlights show titled College Scoreboard providing highlights, interviews and analysis from around the college gridiron.
