Falcons-Lions set to meet at Wembley as part of three-game international series.
The NFL have announced that the clash between the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions at Wembley next year will start earlier in a bid to make it easier for a global audience.
The game, which is scheduled for October 26, 2014, will start at 1:30 p.m. local time, which will make it a morning slot for viewers in the United States as it will kick-off at 9:30 a.m.ET in the U.S.
While the move has been made in order to make the game easier to watch in terms of the global audience, it will also present the opportunity to American networks to broadcast four games on a Sunday.
The Wembley games have traditionally started at around 6:00 p.m. local time in recent years, but it is expected that the league are testing the new time slot with a view to making it a more regular fixture moving forward.
Nevertheless, the other two London games scheduled for next season, which sees the Miami Dolphins take on the Oakland Raiders on September 28 and the Dallas Cowboys against the Jacksonville Jaguars on November 9, will both start at the usual time of 6.00 p.m. local time.
The news has been met with mixed reaction from the American fanbase, with some celebrating the idea of having four live games on the Sunday.
However, there are more sceptical fans who suggest that it is perhaps not feasible, while the on-going debate over whether London will have its own franchise is likely to be re-ignited.
Tickets are set to go on general sale next week, and given the popularity of previous events it is expected that the unprecedented three games next year will be a sell-out.
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