Ahead of its inaugural presentation of National Football League games on Christmas Day, Netflix has reportedly added several analysts to its panel for the studio programming surrounding the matchups. Before Netflix presents the opening matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers, several commentators will take part in a pregame show, including former Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III.
Griffin formerly appeared on Sunday NFL Countdown at ESPN before he was let go by the network prior to the start of the NFL season. Over the last several months, he has hosted episodes of his Outta Pocket podcast distributed across various platforms. Griffin reportedly had two years remaining on his deal when he was let go by ESPN and was considered to be the network’s No. 2 college football game analyst.
Manti Te’o, who joined NFL Network over the summer and has been contributing to Good Morning Football, is also said to be serving as a studio analyst for the broadcast. Te’o, a former linebacker in the NFL and at Notre Dame, initially appeared on NFL Network this past August where he discussed his emotions towards a Netflix documentary telling his story. Moreover, he expressed his gratitude towards NFL Network giving him the opportunity to be in front of the camera and discuss the game of football.
ESPN analyst Mina Kimes will also reportedly be part of the studio program, which takes place shortly after her participation in The Simpsons Funday Football. Kimes has been a member of ESPN since 2014, initially starting as a writer for its magazine, and she has grown her portfolio over its multiplatform offerings in the ensuing years. Outside of the company, she also works with Omaha Productions and Meadowlark Media in different content endeavors.
Drew Brees, former quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, will make his return to the sports media landscape taking part in the show as well, according to the report filed by Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports. Brees spent one year at NBC Sports where he contributed to its coverage of the NFL and Notre Dame, but he was not retained for the ensuing season. Earlier in the NFL season, Brees appeared on an edition of Monday Night Countdown on ESPN.
The studio show will reportedly emanate from Los Angeles featuring host Kay Adams, who also anchors the Up & Adams morning show on FanDuel TV distributed on linear television and digital platforms around the country. Adams was formerly the host of Good Morning Football on NFL Network but departed the show during the summer of 2022 before joining the new sports media entity. As previously reported, the NFL Christmas opening matchup between the Steelers and Chiefs will feature play-by-play announcer Ian Eagle with analysts Nate Burleson and J.J. Watt. The later matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans will include play-by-play announcer Noah Eagle and analyst Greg Olsen.
Netflix and the National Football League agreed to a three-season deal for the streaming service to present games on Christmas Day, with the company reportedly paying about $75 million per contest this season. The platform currently has approximately 282.7 million global subscribers and has been venturing into the live sports landscape over the last several months.
For example, the presentation of the fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, in conjunction with Most Valuable Promotions and EverWonder, secured an average minute audience of 108 million live global viewers and was said by the company to be the most-streamed sporting event ever. Netflix has also contributed to cultivating ancillary content, including documentaries such as Quarterback, Starting 5 and Full Swing, along with The Roast of Tom Brady special that aired this past May.
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