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Football Night in America Ready to Flourish After Several Changes

While there are plenty of familiar faces returning, the on-air personalities will bring a new mix of unique experience and perspective to each broadcast, leading up to Sunday Night Football with Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth and Melissa Stark.

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Football Night in America NBC

The most-watched studio show in sports is making its return tonight as the revamped Football Night in America crew gets viewers set for the NFL regular season kickoff matchup between the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills. While there are plenty of familiar faces returning, the on-air personalities will bring a new mix of unique experiences and perspectives to each broadcast, leading up to Sunday Night Football with Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, and Melissa Stark.

“[It’s] a big-time touchdown for us,” said Sam Flood, who oversees production for the show. “We’re excited across the board… let’s get it going.”

Now as the NFL season commences, Flood will oversee a studio crew that aligns with consumer interests, including in-depth analysis, fantasy sports, and sports betting. Tirico, who regularly hosted the show beginning in 2018, has moved into the play-by-play role for Sunday Night Football following Al Michaels’ move to Amazon Prime Video. The network also added Maria Taylor, who joined the network last July following the expiration of her ESPN contract. Since signing on, she has served as a host at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2022 Beijing Olympics, while also co-hosting Football Night in America with Tirico throughout last season.

“I am honored, blessed and so happy to be able to work with these guys and just be the point guard,” said Taylor, who is the first female full-time host in the show’s history. “….I feel like we have an incredible, dynamic show and… the legend of [the show] continues to live on. We’re just honored to kind of be the flag bearers for it this season.”

Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett was also added to the team this past offseason, giving the show perspective from someone who was recently on the sidelines. After being let go by “America’s Team” following the 2019 season, Garrett was not sure whether he would receive another opportunity to work in football. Now with NBC Sports, Garrett is joining Football Night in America and will also serve as a game analyst for the network’s broadcast of Notre Dame Football – games called by Collinsworth’s son Jac.

“The words that keep going in my mind are excited and grateful,” Garrett said. “I’m so excited for this opportunity and grateful to be in a room with these guys. It’s the marquee show – maybe in all of television – certainly in football.”

The Cowboys will appear three different times on Sunday Night Football this season, including Sunday night’s Week 1 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which should make for plenty of opportunities for Garrett to demonstrate his unique perspective having recently worked for the team. The same can be said for Tony Dungy during the first week, as he too is a former head coach – albeit for the Buccaneers – and has been with Football Night in America since 2009, three years after its initial launch.

Dungy is excited to welcome Garrett as a regular member of the show, but is also looking to continue keeping studio-based pregame shows relevant in an era where many fans are interacting on social media and other platforms of dissemination. That is a challenge in and of itself; however, it is something he is ready to tackle from his viewpoint as a former two-time Super Bowl champion – once as a player and once as a coach – a clear differentiator in today’s congested media landscape.

“One of the things that we have always taken pride in is we try to tell the audience why things happen,” Dungy said. “A lot of people can show you highlights and tell you what happened and give you the score and that, but being able to see – ‘Well, here’s why it happened; here’s why it’s important; here’s what this team has to do’ – we take pride in bringing that. I’m excited to have Jason with us so we can delve more into that.”

“I think that we are still the show of record,” Taylor added. “I believe that we as a pregame show – as all the games come to an end, we are still valued in this landscape and the shoulder programming we provide is really something that can’t be found anywhere else almost because of where the timing is and because of the specific analysts and expertise that we have on the set.”

Unique perspectives of action both on- and off-the-field are appealing to many contemporary sports viewers, and the addition of Matthew Berry recognizes the growing popularity of fantasy sports. Berry recently departed ESPN after 15 years to join NBC Sports, where he will not only be a regular talent on Football Night in America, but will also host a new two-hour show on Peacock called Fantasy Football Happy Hour.

Berry recognizines the show’s prominence and distinction in the football world, but as someone invested in fantasy sports, he did not ever think it would be possible for him to appear on it – let alone be one of its talents. Now though as the world of sports and entertainment continues to shift towards appealing to the consumer in a quest to stand out amid a battle for both consistent ratings and revenue streams, additions like Berry are becoming more common across the industry.

“The idea that I’m here is a true pinch-me, insane, crazy moment for me. I’m very excited,” Berry said. “When I left ESPN, I was very flattered to get offers but the minute NBC said ‘Hey, we’re interested,’ I stopped talking to everyone else because I’ve watched Football Night in America for years and years and years. It’s the show of record.”

Being able to ingratiate himself to the audience on NBC Sports is something Berry views as an opportunity, especially being surrounded by other media members who garner great credibility and longevity in their careers. Being among them, according to Berry, will help him perform his role and try to make fantasy sports a regular aspect of these types of programs.

“I feel like just the fact that I’m sitting there with [the entire cast] and the support they’ve been [giving me] – I think for the people that are unfamiliar with me, they will give me the benefit of the doubt,” Berry articulated. “Ultimately it will be up to me and my work and analysis to win them over, but I’m excited for the opportunity and I think just… being a part of Football Night in America… gives me a big head start.”

Taylor, Garrett and Berry join the aforementioned Tony Dungy and Jac Collinsworth, along with Mike Florio, Chris Simms and Rodney Harrison. The show will be live from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on NBC and streaming on Peacock with exclusive coverage beginning at 7:00 PM ET leading up to the Rams-Bills NFL regular season kickoff matchup at 8:20 PM ET.

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Report: NFL to Put Christmas Day Doubleheader Up For Bids

Bidding is expected to start at $50 million among the current NFL media partners but some think the games could sell for $75 million to $100 million apiece.

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The NFL will reportedly put its Christmas Day games up for auction, allowing its current media partners to bid for the games. Now, it’s up to CBS, FOX, ESPN, NBC, and Prime Video to pay up for rights to one of these two marquee games.

According to Front Office Sports Michael McCarthy, preference will be given to linear networks, so Prime Video and Peacock may sit this one out. Bidding is expected to start at $50 million but McCarthy and his sources expect that number to rise. John Kosner, the former ESPN executive, thinks the new Christmas Day games could sell for $75 million to $100 million apiece.

The NFL announced a Wednesday Christmas Day doubleheader during its annual league meetings. The league originally said it wouldn’t force games on Christmas Day if the holiday fell on an odd day of the week, though as the NFL continues to put games on days outside of Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, and sometimes Saturdays, we’re running out of days that don’t feature NFL football.

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Colorado Rockies & DirecTV Reach Agreement to Carry Games on TV

“Colorado sports fans have made DIRECTV the top destination for their favorite local teams. We will continue to work with MLB…so fans can get their games.”

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Colorado Rockies

Breathe easy, Rockies fans — you will be able to watch your club on linear TV this year. At the buzzer, DirecTV and the Colorado Rockies agreed on terms to distribute the team’s games throughout its local service.

Starting today, DirecTV Choice subscribers across Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Southern Idaho, Western Nebraska, and Northern New Mexico can now watch the Rockies on a special channel simply titled, “ROCKIES.” The games will be available on DirecTV and DirecTV STREAM via channel 683.

“Colorado sports fans have made DIRECTV the top destination to get all their favorite local teams,” said Rob Thun, chief content officer of DIRECTV. “We will continue to work with MLB, the NBA, NHL, and other top leagues and their local franchises so the most avid fans can get the games they want while other customers have more choice over the content they want to pay to have in their homes.”

Reports just days ago out of Colorado said there were “no guarantees” the Rockies would not find a TV home in time for Opening Day following the sunsetting of AT&T SportsNet. The only other way to watch the team is to use its direct-to-consumer Rockies.tv streaming service, which fans say is too pricey for a team that lost 103 games last season. Luckily, the team was able to secure a TV home for 2024, though the future is still uncertain.

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Erin Andrews Reveals Infertility Journey in Emotional ‘Today Show’ Interview

FOX reporter Erin Andrews sat down with ‘The Today Show’s’ Kristen Welker to discuss her journey, how Welker’s own journey inspired her, and more.

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FOX reporter Erin Andrews shared her story of infertility and surrogacy with NBC’s Today Show. Last summer, Andrews and her husband welcomed a baby boy via surrogate after trying for a decade to get pregnant via IVF, during which she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2016. Today, she sat down with Kristen Welker to discuss her journey, how Welker’s own journey inspired her, and more.

Andrews says Welker’s announcement on the Today Show made her think a baby could be possible. “I remember Kristin Welker’s announcement on your show,” Andrews said last year, “and I actually watched that the morning Mac was born, because that just hit me.”

When they finally sat down, Welker asked Andrews why her journey resonated with the sports reporter so much:

“Because I see myself in you. Kristen, the video of you moderating debates after you’re waiting on bad news or maybe you just received it, that’s me. I can tell you every stand-up I’ve done at a football game where I’ve gotten the news that it didn’t work. I’d be talking about Tom Brady going for this record and my record is that I still was failing…I would have chest pains every time I was waiting for the call if it worked, and I knew it wouldn’t work.

Erin Andrews on ‘Today’

Andrews knew surrogacy was the only path to having a child. Although her family’s first attempt failed, her second attempt was a success, and she got to hear her child’s heartbeat for the very first time. The pair discuss the complex emotions that come with surrogacy, saying that bonds with their child could be affected because they didn’t carry their child. However, Welker assured Andrews that those feelings go away once you can talk to your child.

Once her son was born in June, who Andrews called, “a miracle,” she then talks about her child glowingly, talking about how he is just like mom — vocal. “He’s all me,” she says.

Andrews supports Baby Quest, a non-profit that grants money to families in need of IVF or surrogacy to have a baby but don’t have the funds to pursue these expensive treatments. Both Andrews and Welker acknowledged how difficult and unattainable their journies are for some families — and Andrews even used the NFL’s “My Cleats, My Cause” initiative to raise awareness for her cause.

“People don’t need to feel embarrassed that they have a surrogate or are looking for other help,” Andrews said.

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