Doubleheader ( television ) Doubleheader is used by network television to refer to two games in any sport aired back - to - back on the same network , even though they do not involve the same two teams ( three such games may be referred to as a tripleheader , this scenario being encountered most frequently in basketball ) . A doubleheader purposely coincides with a league ' s scheduling of " early " and " late " games . In North America , games usually start at the same time period in different time zones ( Eastern and Pacific ) . National Football League . National Football League ( NFL ) games usually start around 1 p . m . local time , creating a 1 p . m / 4 p . m doubleheader in the Eastern Time Zone and a 10 a . m / 1 p . m . doubleheader in the Pacific Time Zone . The two networks who broadcast NFL games on Sunday afternoons — Fox and CBS — both typically air doubleheaders during the regular season ( with the other network only being permitted to broadcast one game in a specific market ) , with restrictions applying to some markets in which the local team is playing at home that week . When combined with the Sunday night game on NBC , this creates a tripleheader ( as was sometimes advertised by the league ' s radio partner , Westwood One , which carried three games in a tripleheader ) . Since 2006 , Week 1 of the NFL regular season also features a doubleheader on " Monday Night Football " , with the nightcap game being two West Coast teams . This stems from circumstances created by the most recent television contract . Canadian Football League . The Canadian Football League has aired doubleheaders and tripleheaders , usually on Saturdays and Sundays . Two Monday doubleheaders , the Labour Day Classic and the Thanksgiving Day Classic , are among the most prominent games in the schedule and occur on two national holidays . The Labour Day doubleheader features prominent rivalries ( Hamilton - Toronto and Edmonton - Calgary ) , while the Thanksgiving games ( although one is hosted by Montréal every year ) are otherwise rotated . Doubleheaders are also used to present the Division Semi - Final and Division Final weeks of the CFL playoffs . National Hockey League . Every Saturday night during the National Hockey League ( NHL ) regular season , CBC ' s " Hockey Night in Canada " televises a doubleheader . The first game , featuring teams in the East , begins at 7 p . m . Eastern / 4 p . m . Pacific . The second game , featuring teams in the West , airs at 10 p . m Eastern / 7 p . m . Pacific . On some Saturdays , a tripleheader might occur , although there is a break between the afternoon game and the evening games for news and other sports . NBC Sports Network ' s NHL coverage also airs doubleheaders , usually on Monday nights , in the same time slots . The " NHL on TSN " usually ( but not always ) has doubleheaders on Wednesday nights , although they may occur on other nights of the week . During the 2010 – 11 NHL season , the NHL on NBC debuted " Hockey Day in America " , a televised doubleheader featuring regional action between six of the most popular hockey teams in the United States in the opening game and a nationally televised game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks in the afternoon . Completing a tripleheader would be the 2011 Heritage Classic , for which NBC viewers were directed to change the channel to Versus . National Basketball Association . The NBA currently airs two doubleheaders on Christmas afternoon ( counting all broadcast outlets , it has since expanded into a quintupleheader , i . e . five consecutive national games ) , but otherwise does not normally air doubleheaders . The league experimented in 2009 and 2010 with a Thanksgiving night doubleheader , but discontinued that after the 2011 NBA lockout . English Premier League . Sky Sports airs doubleheader matches from the English Premier League under the banner Super Sunday . These feature the early match kicking off at 1 . 30pm and the late match kicking off at 4pm Primera División de Mexico . On selected Sundays during soccer season , Televisa ' s Canal de las Estrellas usually airs a doubleheader . The first game , usually a Deportivo Toluca F . C . or Pumas UNAM home game , begins at 12noon CT ( 1pm ET / 10am PT ) . The second game , a Club América home game , begins at 4pm CT ( 5pm ET / 2pm PT ) . Doubleheaders usually air when Club América and either Pumas UNAM or Deportivo Toluca F . C . are at home . In the United States , Univision will begin airing these doubleheaders in 2012 .