Mercury News Wire Services
NFL fans, get the remote ready. ``Monday Night Football'' is changing channels.
One of broadcast television's longest-running programs, the show will move in 2006 from ABC to its sister station ESPN, officials said Monday.
ESPN agreed to pay $1.1 billion a year for eight years to wrest the Monday night game from ABC, though both stations are owned by Walt Disney Co.
The new broadcast deal also brings the NFL to NBC for the first time since 1997. The network gets Sunday night football -- which the league now considers its marquee TV showcase.
Monday night games will shift to the earlier start time of 5:40 p.m. Pacific on ESPN.
It was not known whether popular ``Monday Night Football'' announcers John Madden and Al Michaels would move to the ESPN games. Network officials said no decision on announcers had been made.
During the first seven seasons of its current eight-year contract, ``Monday Night Football'' has seen ratings slip 21 percent.
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