NBCUniversal and the University of Notre Dame agreed to a four-year media rights extension said to be worth $200 million that will keep Notre Dame Fighting Irish football on the network through the 2029 season. The existing contract between the two entities was set to expire after the 2024 season, marking the 33rd year in which Notre Dame home football games have aired on NBC. Entering the new season, Dan Hicks will serve as the new play-by-play voice for these matchups, succeeding Jac Collinsworth as he continues to co-host Football Night in America and call Big Ten Conference football games. Hicks returns to these broadcasts after calling Fighting Irish games from 2013 to 2016.
Hicks will be joined by analyst Jason Garrett and sideline reporter Zora Stephenson. The broadcast team makes its debut on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 3:30 p.m. EST as the Fighting Irish face Northern Illinois on NBC and Peacock.
NBCUniversal is entering its second season presenting Big Ten Conference football games under a seven-year media rights deal with the entity. The Big Ten Saturday Night broadcast team of play-by-play announcer Noah Eagle, analyst Todd Blackledge and sideline reporter Kathryn Tappen return to the airwaves for a Week 0 matchup between Michigan and Fresno State on Aug. 31 at 7:30 p.m. EST on NBC and Peacock.
| Broadcast Property | Play-by-Play Announcer | Analyst | Sideline Reporter |
| Big Ten Saturday Night | Noah Eagle | Todd Blackledge | Kathryn Tappen |
| Notre Dame Football on NBC | Dan Hicks | Jason Garrett | Zora Stephenson |
The trio will call all prime time games outside of Sept. 7, the week in which Eagle, Blackledge and sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung will call an NFL game between the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles from São Paulo, Brazil streaming exclusively on Peacock. Tappen will work with Paul Burmeister and Colt McCoy on the matchup between Colorado and Nebraska on that day in prime time on NBC and Peacock. Tony Simeone was named the new radio play-by-play announcer for Notre Dame football, succeeding Burmeister in the role as he expands his responsibilities with NBC Sports.
In addition to Burmeister, McCoy and Collinsworth, a variety of announcers will call Big Ten Conference action throughout the regular season, including former NFL Sunday Ticket Red Zone host Andrew Siciliano. During the Olympic Games Paris 2024, Siciliano was part of the hit Gold Zone presentation on Peacock, which ranked among the top five most-watched Olympic titles on the OTT streaming service. TNT Sports and MSG Networks play-by-play announcer Brendan Burke will work with former two-time Pro Bowl tight end and 12-year NFL veteran Kyle Rudolph on the broadcast of Rhode Island against Minnesota on Sept. 7. Additionally, Caroline Pineda will make her return to Big Ten Conference coverage on NBC Sports for her second season.
The Big Ten College Countdown studio team of host Maria Taylor, analyst Joshua Perry and reporter Nicole Auerbach return to the program for the upcoming season, which will add Chris Simms as an analyst. Taylor also hosts Football Night in America on Sundays preceding the network broadcast of Sunday Night Football, coming off a season in which it finished as the No. 1 show in prime time television across all key metrics for a 13th consecutive year. As Taylor, Perry, Auerbach and Simms are situated within the studio, Ahmed Fareed, Matt Cassel and Michael Robinson will be live from the site of each game.
Outside of the studio program, Auerbach and Perry will host Rushing the Field, a new podcast launching Thursday, Aug. 29 with weekly episodes on Thursday mornings throughout the season. The show will include the analysts synthesizing the biggest stories in college football, previewing upcoming games and providing shrewd takes. Eagle and Blackledge will return with B1G Talk with Todd and Noah, releasing new episodes on Wednesdays throughout the college football season where they discuss the conference, Big Ten Saturday Night matchup and cover key storylines.
