Behind the Mic: Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit Tapped for Thursday Night Football on Prime Video

Behind the Mic: Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit Tapped for Thursday Night Football on Prime Video By SVG Staff

Friday, April 1, 2022 - 11:45 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, Amazon signs Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit for Thursday Night Football, multiyear extensions at ESPN, and more.

Amazon Taps Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit for Thursday Night Football on Prime Video Prime Video has announced that iconic play-by-play announcer Al Michaels and Emmy-winning analyst Kirk Herbstreit have joined Prime Video to call its exclusive coverage of NFL Thursday Night Football. The inaugural season of the historic 11-year agreement kicks off Sept. 15.

The recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award in 2011, Michaels recently completed his record 36th campaign as the play-by-play announcer of the NFL in prime time. Michaels called his 11th Super Bowl in February, matching the most ever for a television commentator.

Herbstreit has served as the lead college football analyst for ESPN since 1996. In that time, Herbstreit has established himself as one of the preeminent voices in the sport, garnering 14 Sports Emmys for his work as both a live event analyst on ABC's Saturday Night Football as well as a studio analyst on ESPN's College GameDay.

Fred Gaudelli, a 24-time Emmy-winning producer, will also join Prime Video as executive producer of Thursday Night Football. Gaudelli will lead the Thursday Night Football production on-site each week, as part of a collaboration with NBC Sports, continuing a storied career with his 33rd season as the lead producer for the NFL in prime time. Gaudelli, who produced his seventh Super Bowl in February, will continue on NBC Sports' executive team and will serve as a key contributor to NBC Sunday Night Football's editorial and production efforts.

Over the last 36 seasons, I've been at the mic describing some of the most magical moments and games in NFL history and am looking forward to many more, says Michaels. This is the new frontier in sports television and to be a part of the launch at this point in my career is both exciting and stimulating. The NFL is the king of unscripted television and I'm looking forward to joining Kirk to bring fans more dramatic episodes on Thursday nights this fall.

I'm thrilled to be a part of Prime Video's game-changing new Thursday Night Football telecasts, and it's an honor to join the booth alongside Al, sats Herbstreit. Together, we will build the next generation of NFL programming. I'm proud to be part of the Amazon team and can't wait to get started.

Al and I have had a great run for 21 years and I'm thrilled to extend our relationship and welcome Kirk Herbstreit to the Prime Video team, said Gaudelli. Al and Kirk will make Thursday Night Football a unique viewing experience for all NFL fans.

Al and Kirk bring unparalleled experience to our historic new Thursday Night Football game telecasts, as we kick off our groundbreaking new agreement with the NFL, says Marie Donoghue, vice president, Global Sports Video, Amazon. Having these two legends in the booth, with the best game producer in the business, Fred Gaudelli, will help make Thursday night the most exciting football night of the week.

With their infectious passion for the game, Al, Kirk, and Fred are the perfect building blocks to make Thursday Night Football on Prime Video a weekly destination for all football fans, says Jared Stacy, director of Global Live Sports Production, Prime Video. We're thrilled to have this crew on board as we create a dynamic, informative, and entertaining night of NFL programming that will make every big moment on the field feel even bigger.

When TNF returns, Prime Video will become the first streaming service to air a season-long exclusive national broadcast package with the NFL. The 11-year deal includes 15 regular-season games and one preseason game per year, with Prime Video also delivering new pregame, halftime, and postgame shows as well as fan-favorite interactive features like X-Ray and Next Gen Stats powered by AWS. Prime Video and the NFL will continue to collaborate on exclusive NFL content and enhanced fan-viewing experiences around Thursday Night Football, with more information to follow in the coming months.

Jake Peavy, Hunter Pence Named MLB Network Analysts MLB Network has announced that two-time World Series Champions Jake Peavy and Hunter Pence have joined MLB Network as on-air analysts appearing across its programming.

Peavy, the 2007 National League Cy Young Award winner, most recently contributed to MLB Network's National Baseball Hall of Fame roundtable program leading up to election day this past January.

Pence, a four-time MLB All-Star, most recently joined MLB Network as an in-studio guest analyst during the 2021 Postseason. Peavy and Pence were teammates on the 2014 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants, who defeated the Kansas City Royals in seven games. Viewers can follow Peavy on Twitter via @JakePeavy_22, and Pence on Twitter via @hunterpence.

MLB Network recently announced that newly retired players Alex Avila and Cameron Maybin have also joined MLB Network.

Sharing stories and talking about the game a few months ago at MLB Network really excited me for this opportunity, says Peavy. I'm looking forward to teaching a few tips I learned along the way while having some fun doing it.

I'm thrilled about the opportunity to contribute to MLB Network, says Pence. As a former player, I'm excited to get back into the game in a new capacity and become teammates with a great group

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2022/04/01/behind-the-mic-al-michaels-kirk...
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