Behind the Mic: Shaquille O'Neal Returns to Turner on New Broadcast Deal; ESPN's MNF Gets Set for 2020 Season With New-Look Booth

Behind the Mic: Shaquille O'Neal Returns to Turner on New Broadcast Deal; ESPN's MNF Gets Set for 2020 Season With New-Look Booth By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor

Tuesday, August 25, 2020 - 9:30 am

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Behind the Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week's edition, Turner Sports brings back a giant-sized personality, ESPN reveals their new Monday Night Football booth, a pair of Longs receive new onscreen duties, and more.

A Basketball Hall of Famer with larger-than-life personality, Shaquille O'Neal has reached a multi-year extension with Turner Sports that will expand the scope of his responsibilities throughout the WarnerMedia portfolio. A 15-time NBA All-Star and four-time NBA Champion, O'Neal will continue in his role as studio analyst for TNT's Sports Emmy Award-winning Inside the NBA, along with the NBA on TNT Tuesday Night franchise.

Turner Sports is family to me, says O'Neal. I'm looking forward to working alongside my talented colleagues as we create many more Shaq-tastic moments in the years to come.

He'll also appear on NBA TV and contribute to NBA.com. His NBA TV airtime will include a new show in development on The Business of Basketball, with more details to be announced at a later date. O'Neal will expand the ever-popular Shaqtin-a-Fool franchise to include new genres and platforms to reach an even broader set of passionate fans.

Shaq is so critical to our success, and such a huge part of the heart and soul of our coverage, says Jeff Zucker, Chairman, WarnerMedia News and Sports. We are lucky to be able to have him as part of our family every single day, and I am personally so thrilled to see that continue for a long time to come.

O'Neal will also serve as an executive producer for a number of projects with Turner Sports' Bleacher Report. O'Neal and B/R will create new content that will combine his voice and the brand's ability to fuse experiences hitting the intersection of sports and culture. O'Neal has also reached a development deal with WarnerMedia entertainment networks as part of the new portfolio-wide agreement.

Laslty, O'Neal's popular podcast will be distributed through the WarnerMedia Podcast Network beginning early next year.

Shaquille's tenacity as a player and loyal teammate made him one of the best to ever do it on the court, and those skills have translated to his contributions as a broadcaster, says Tara August, Senior Vice President of Talent Services & Special Projects, Turner Sports. His fun, infectious personality is engaging, entertaining, and beloved by fans. We're thrilled to extend and deepen our relationship with him for many years to come

ESPN's 2020 Monday Night Football commentator team will feature Steve Levy on play-by-play with Brian Griese and Louis Riddick as analysts, formulating a trio that boasts more than 45 years of broadcasting experience at ESPN. The telecast will also feature Emmy-winning reporter Lisa Salters returning for her ninth season, and officiating analyst John Parry back for his second season.

ESPN's new NFL commentating team will begin the season with the Tennessee Titans at the Denver Broncos on Monday, Sept. 14 (10:10 p.m. ET), the second game of ESPN's annual Week 1 doubleheader. The following two weeks, ESPN's MNF schedule features the Las Vegas Raiders' first home game at Allegiant Stadium featuring Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints (Week 2) and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes and the champion Kansas City Chiefs traveling to NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens (Week 3). Multiple appearances by six-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Weeks 8 and 11) are among the highlights throughout the season.

For Levy, Griese, and Riddick, the 2020 MNF opener will be their second consecutive year as a team to call a MNF game. The trio worked together during ESPN's signature Week 1 doubleheader, broadcastinglast year's Raiders-Broncos matchup. For Riddick, last season's opener in the booth commenced a season-long campaign with MNF as a regular on the main set of Monday Night Countdown and a staple on MNF halftime and postgame shows.

In addition, Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN's leading college football broadcasting team, will make their NFL debut when they call the first game of the season-opening MNF doubleheader, featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers at the New York Giants (7:15 p.m.).

Lastly, ESPN senior coordinating producer Steve Ackels will add MNF to his production responsibilities, which also includes oversight of live college football games across ESPN networks. Ackels will work with new MNF producer Phil Dean and second-year director Jimmy Platt to lead the MNF production team

In advance of the highly anticipated 2020 NFL season, FOX Bet welcomes Pro Football Hall of Famer and Super Bowl Champion Howie Long to the mobile sportsbook roster as a brand ambassador. Long, a signature studio analyst on America's No. 1 NFL pregame show, FOX NFL Sunday, will contribute sports wagering content and expert insights to the FOX Bet brand and digital platforms.

Long teams up with fellow FOX NFL Sunday mainstay and Pro Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw on the FOX Bet Super 6 app, its free-to-play offering, available nationwide. Together, the duo will bring their unmatched chemistry as they make their FOX Bet Super 6 picks leading into football weekends this fall. In addition, FOX Bet's sports-first, betting-second approach includes exclusive observations from some of the nation's most renowned sports commentators and analysts, including

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