Why NBC was able to use the ESPN ‘NFL Primetime’ music during Giants-Commanders highlights

NBC viewers heard a familiar sound on Sunday during Football Night in America, in a highlights package from the New York Giants-Washington Commanders game . As Maria Taylor recounted Sunday’s tie between the two NFC East rivals, the highlights package was soundtracked by a climactic build-up of low brass and strings that most NFL fans over 30 recognize as “the ESPN NFL Primetime music.” The iconic cue instantly conjured memories of Chris Berman and Tom Jackson calling the day’s highlights, as they did most of the time during the show’s original run from 1987 to 2005.