Rich Eisen is returning to ESPN as The Rich Eisen Show will be moving its television streaming home from Roku to the worldwide leader in sports this fall. As first reported by Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, Eisen is set to make his return to the network after more than two decades away when Eisen left to take the lead host role with the NFL Network. ESPN announced the news on Tuesday morning, divulging that Eisen will also make select appearances on ESPN studio programming.
Eisen’s radio program, which is currently distributed by Westwood One and also airing on SiriusXM, will stream live on Disney+ and ESPN+ beginning this fall. The Emmy-nominated program will air weekdays in its traditional noon to 3 p.m. ET timeslot, with its debut on both platforms coinciding with the launch of ESPN’s direct-to-consumer offering called ESPN. Good Karma Brands will be involved in the sales component of the program as well. Despite his show airing on ESPN platforms, Eisen will continue to be the featured host on NFL Network game day and NFL Draft coverage and retain his role with the broadcast entity.
“To say this has been a long time coming is an understatement, especially considering I never thought a reunion with ESPN would happen in any role, let alone such a crucial one of ‘partner.’ Immense thanks to Jimmy Pitaro, Burke Magnus and Dave Roberts for their belief in The Rich Eisen Show and our amazing crew, without whom none of this could have been possible,” Eisen said in a statement. “I can’t wait to connect alike with new fans on Disney and ESPN’s many platforms and reconnect with long-time ones who remember me with hair.”
“Rich Eisen is an ESPN icon and his return to Disney and ESPN platforms is a great win for all,” Burke Magnus, president of content at ESPN, said in a statement. “The Rich Eisen Show is a unique blend that fans seek, approaching sports conversations with information, heart and humor, featuring guests from sports, music, entertainment and beyond. We will continue to be aggressive in adding premier content to our platforms, with The Rich Eisen Show being today’s example.”
Previously, The Rich Eisen Show has been airing on NBC Sports Network and Peacock before moving to Roku in 2022. The show coming to ESPN would be a similar structure to the agreement with The Pat McAfee Show, with Eisen owning the program and licensing it out to ESPN.
The Rich Eisen Show will continue to originate out of Los Angeles and feature a mix of sports, humor and pop culture, including an array of signature guests, driving the show to become a leader and conversation starter in the sports media landscape for more than a decade.
With ESPN set to launch the direct-to-consumer product this fall, the network has been in reported talks with the NFL about possibly controlling a portion of NFL Media’s assets including the NFL Network and NFL RedZone. While nothing official has been announced, the addition of Eisen to the network’s new DTC platform could signal that talks are potentially closer than previously reported.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
Also, Peter Schrager jumped from NFL Network to ESPN. Looks like a deal is inevitable.