To begin the second half of broadcasting Thursday Night Football, Amazon Prime Video garnered an average audience of 9.56 million viewers, according to data from Nielsen Media Research, which is an increase of 41% over last year’s comparable matchup. The figure marked the ninth consecutive week of year-over-year (YoY), double-digit viewership growth, and it also garnered 4.33 million viewers within the persons 18-49 demographic.
Yet the matchup between the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers, two teams that have struggled throughout the regular season, was regarded as a game that would not enthrall many viewers. Shortly before the broadcast, Prime Video announced that Philadelphia Eagles center and New Heights podcast host Jason Kelce would join the proceedings, contributing to the pregame and postgame studio program and working in the broadcast booth with play-by-play announcer Al Michaels and color commentator Kirk Herbstreit.
Kelce had the time to broadcast the game since the Eagles were in their bye week, not to mention occupying first place in the NFC East division with an 8-1 overall record. The move is the latest media endeavor for Kelce, who many viewers and football fans suspect could explore work in sports media upon his retirement. Monday morning on 610 Sports Radio in Kansas City, co-host Josh Klingler acknowledged that he noticed Kelce on the broadcast.
“Well, they needed to get somebody to watch that game,” co-host Bob Fescoe replied on 610 Sports Radio regarding Thursday Night Football. “It’s the Bears vs. the Panthers, so they rolled out all the stops. We gave them credit the other day – you brought in Jason Kelce, man, to get people to watch, People’s sexiest man alive.”
Klingler then conjectured how Prime Video got him to travel to Chicago to call a game with two teams that are not expected to contend for the NFL playoffs this year. Fescoe offered a simple reply that brought light to the situation.
“Cash, Josh,” he said. “They pay people for this kind of stuff – and to get his chops ready for broadcasting afterwards.”
Fescoe conveyed that he thought the performance was a great dress rehearsal for him and a chance to get out of the spotlight of his brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Ironically enough, Travis Kelce was also on his bye week and traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina to watch Taylor Swift perform shows to begin the international stretch of “The Eras Tour.”
After the Saturday night show concluded, video captured Swift running to Kelce to embrace him, a conspicuous gesture that followed her changing the lyrics to one of her songs to implement Kelce, known as “the guy on the Chiefs.”
“I was thinking about it,” Klingler explained. “I’m like, ‘Trav’s in South America,’ and we all knew he was going to go to South America and [that he] was going to jump on the tour or whatever; and then Jason’s at this terrible Thursday Night Football game when he’s on his bye. There are better ways to spend your bye week.”
