Canadian NFL fans will soon be able to see their favourite teams duke it out on the big screen, after Cineplex Entertainment and the NFL reached a deal to broadcast games in theatres across Canada.
The arrangement will see Sunday Night Football broadcast live in 15 theatres starting Sunday Nov. 12, with Super Bowl LII set to be streamed to 50 locations.
Seven games leading up to the Super Bowl will be screened at Cineplex’s adults-only VIP Cinemas, where football fans can enjoy a cold beer and munch on boneless chicken wings while taking in the game, Cineplex said in a press release.
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Marketed as “NFL Sundays at Cineplex,” the games will be hosted at three Toronto venues as well as locations in Ottawa, Oakville, London, Markham, Kitchener, Brossard, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Vancouver, Coquitlam and Abbotsford, with tickets costing $5 apiece.
Cineplex says it will announce location details for Super Bowl screenings closer to the Feb. 4, 2018 showcase.
“This agreement is a real touchdown for Cineplex and the over 11 million NFL fans across Canada,” said Cineplex’s president and CEO Ellis Jacob in a statement.
The agreement also includes an eSports competition sponsored by Xbox and featuring the Madden NFL video game. Gamers across Canada will compete online, with eight finalists to be flown to Toronto to battle it out for a $20,000 cash prize.
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Cineplex has previously broadcast NHL and NBA games, the Olympics and UFC events.