This was the television adaptation of "Heidi" that, through no fault of its own, became embroiled in a U.S. broadcasting brouhaha known to this day as the "Heidi Bowl." On Sunday, November 17, 1968, NBC was scheduled to begin airing this movie at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, following coverage of a National Football League game between the New York Jets and Oakland Raiders. The game ran long; however, with the Jets leading the Raiders, 32-29, NBC broke away to begin this movie on schedule. During the unseen remaining minute of play, Oakland managed to score two touchdowns, and ended up beating New York, 43-32. Outraged football fans inundated NBC switchboards. The network expressed regret, saying it had intended to stay with the game until it ended, and blaming a series of miscommunications for the gaffe. A result of this fiasco is that National Football League television contracts require games to be televised in their entirety in the markets of the two teams.
