Why is al michaels not on sunday night football ? Ahead of the 2022 season, the landscape of primetime NFL football took a major shift as some of the biggest names in broadcasting moved on to new networks.
One of the biggest changes involves NBC’s broadcasts of “Sunday Night Football,” as Al Michaels will no longer serve as the play-by-play voice. To put the change in perspective, Michaels had held the position of play-by-play announcer for “Sunday Night Football” since it began airing on NBC in 2006.
After 16 seasons with Michaels on the call, “Sunday Night Football” will see Mike Tirico take over as the new play-by-play voice alongside Cris Collinsworth and new sideline reporter Melissa Stark.
While he will no longer be working on “Sunday Night Football,” Michaels, 77, will still be a prominent voice in primetime NFL football broadcasts. Here is more on Michaels’ next move.
What happened to Al Michaels?
Michaels’ contract with NBC expired after the network’s coverage of Super Bowl 56 in February, making the legend one of the most sought-after announcers on the market.
In March, reports surfaced that Michaels had reached an agreement with Amazon Prime Video to become the streaming service’s play-by-play voice for its exclusive coverage of “Thursday Night Football” that begins in the 2022 season. On March 23, the NFL officially announced that Michaels would become the voice of Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football” alongside analyst Kirk Herbstreit.
Fans got their first look at the all-new broadcast during Week 3 of the 2022 NFL preseason when Michaels and Herbstreit covered a Thursday meeting between the 49ers and Texans, a broadcast that was met with positive feedback.
Beginning in Week 2, Michaels and Herbstreit will call 15 “Thursday Night Football” games throughout the 2022 season, with broadcasts set to air exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
While Michaels has moved on to a new weekly endeavor, his voice will still be heard on NBC this year, you’ll just have to wait until the postseason. In May, NBC Sports announced that Michaels was named to an emeritus role, allowing the legendary play-by-play analyst to broadcast and contribute to NBC’s productions of the NFL Playoffs and the Olympics.
Al Michaels became the hottest free agent in the commentator market
Al Michaels became the most sought-after announcer left on the market and was approached by many networks. In March 2022, there were reports of Michaels reaching a contract agreement with Amazon Prime Video to become their play-by-play voice for their exclusive coverage of Thursday Night Football.
The NFL soon confirmed the news and he is currently working alongside analyst Kirk Herbstreit. Fans got to hear him for the first time during Week 3 of the 2022 NFL preseason. The San Francisco 49ers played the Houston Texans and the broadcast was lauded with positive feedback.
Fans who missed Al Michaels on Sunday Night Football will still get to hear him on NBC this year, but only after the regular season ends. NBC Sports made him an honorary commentator in May. This allows the renowned play-by-play announcer to broadcast and contribute to NBC’s presentations of the NFL Playoffs and the Olympics.
Why did Al Michaels leave NBC?
Popular Sunday Night Football announcer Al Michaels left NBC before the 2022 NFL season started. Primetime football saw a major shift as one of the biggest names in broadcasting moved to a different network. Michaels has been the voice of NBC’s SNF for the last 16 years
Michaels has held the position of play-by-play announcer for Sunday Night Football since it began airing on NBC in 2006. Football fans have become accustomed to hearing him on the No.1 primetime television show for the past decade.
Mike Tirico became the new play-by-play announcer this fall for Sunday Night Football. Joining him is color commentator Cris Collinsworth, who returned for his 14th season as an SNF analyst. The host and reporter for NFL Network, Melissa Stark, replaced Michele Tafoya as the new sideline reporter.
Michaels left his position on NBC Sports to become the play-by-play caller for Amazon Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football coverage. Michaels is still a prominent voice in primetime NFL football broadcasts but is covering TNF games now.
The legendary announcer’s contract with NBC ended after last season’s Super Bowl game that saw the Los Angeles Rams win their second Lombardi Trophy. This made him a big name that was up for grabs.
Why Al Michaels is not calling ‘Sunday Night Football’ anymore
The NFL is back with Sunday Night Football to close out the first Sunday of the 2022 NFL season. Technically this is the second SNF game because the Thursday kickoff game — this year featuring the Bills thumping the Rams — is technically an SNF production by NBC.
This year brings a significant change to the Sunday Night Football broadcast. For the first time since the 2005 season, Al Michaels will not be serving as the primary play-by-play announcer for the weekly primetime game. Michaels moved to SNF from MNF in 2006 and this year moved over to Amazon Prime to call Thursday Night Football.
Michaels will still call one NBC playoff game, but the 2022 season will feature Mike Tirico in the full-time play-by-play role. Tirico has called some games since joining NBC in 2016, particularly when Michaels would take some midseason breaks. This year, he will join Cris Collinsworth to call every SNF game on the schedule.
NBC Sports Keeps Al Michaels for Some Duties With ‘Emeritus’ Deal
Al Michaels may be leaving NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” but he’s not leaving NBC.
The veteran broadcaster, who revealed in March that he planned to lead Amazon’s new streamcast of “Thursday Night Football” in the fall, is keeping a foothold at NBC Sports. Michaels will have “emeritus” status, and is expected to contribute across the NBC Sports portfolio, including, the company said, to the NFL Playoffs and the Olympics.
“Revered by viewers and colleagues, Al has been the soundtrack for many of the greatest moments in sports television history,” said Pete Bevacqua, chairman of NBC Sports, in a statement. “We are thrilled that he’s staying in the family and raising the stature of our events for years to come.”
Michaels has has covered more major sports events than any sportscaster, and has, on occasion, found himself narrating history as well as a particular event. He’s the sportscaster who in 1980 made an iconic call when the U.S. men’s hockey team upset the USSR’s at the1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.
“Do you believe in miracles?” Michaels asked. “Yes!” He also helped cover the 1989 San Francisco earthquake while offering play by play of the World Series. He became just the second sportscaster in history to receive a News Emmy nomination for his efforts. Michaels spent 20 years calling “Monday Night Football,” and is the only commentator to call the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals and host the Stanley Cup Final for network television.
“I’m looking forward to continuing my longtime NBC relationship while also launching the ‘Thursday Night Football package on Amazon this fall,” Michaels said in a statement. One factor that may have played a role in the agreement? NBC Sports is producing Amazon’s NFL effort, even going so far as to allow veteran sports producer Fred Gaudelli, an NBC Sports mainstay, to work on the Amazon’s Thursday-night affair.
NBC, like many other networks, has placed new emphasis on sports talent as rights fees for big games continue to skyrocket. In recent months, Disney’s ESPN raided Joe Buck and Troy Aikman for its “Monday Night Football” and Fox Sports has struck an agreement with Tom Brady to call NFL games once he retires from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The arrangement sets Michaels up to play a role in NBC’s post-season NFL coverage, although the network has already paired Mike Tirico with Chris Collinsworth for the NFL’s next regular-season set of Sunday-night games.
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