Faced with continued ratings erosion, the National Football League is calling on Spike Lee to direct a series of TV commercials for a massive ad campaign aimed at luring viewers to watch the upcoming playoffs, the Wall Street Journal reported today (Thursday).

According to the newspaper, the NFL plans to air 252 spots on ABC, ESPN, Fox and CBS beginning Dec. 17 and concluding four weeks later prior to the Super Bowl. Samuel L. Jackson has been signed to voice the Lee spots, which are being produced under the banner "Show Me Something."

In an interview with the WSJ, Lee said that he had been trying to put together a deal with the NFL for two years. "I'ts all about timing," he said. "The NFL is looking to brand the playoffs and we want to make this distinctive. This is going to be more stylized in lighting, tone, look and feel."

Source: Studio Briefing