What’s old is new again.
NFL Network’s Rich Eisen will return to his old stomping grounds in Bristol, Conn., to shoot another special edition of SportsCenter for ESPN this fall.
The former SportsCenter anchor, who drew rave reviews for his first appearance on the show in 22 years Monday night, will headline “periodic special editions” of ESPN’s flagship show moving forward, according to an ESPN spokesperson.
ESPN says Eisen’s Monday edition averaged 708,000 viewers. That’s 67% higher than the average 11 p.m. ET SportsCenter—and slightly higher than the last SportsCenter Eisen anchored on the network in 2003, which drew 670,000 viewers.
Eisen broke out as a SportsCenter anchor from 1996 to 2003 before becoming the face and voice of the then-new NFL Network. As part of ESPN’s mega-deal to acquire the network, and the trademark to the RedZone channel, The Rich Eisen Show will debut Sep. 2 on ESPN+, Disney+, and ESPN Radio. While Eisen will maintain his lead anchor role at NFL Network, he’s expected to make select appearances across ESPN’s studio programming.
Utilizing Eisen in the future marks a smart play by SportsCenter. The show is still one of ESPN’s most valuable properties. The 56-year-old anchor is a living symbol of the show’s glory days in the 1990s, when wisecracking SportsCenter anchors like himself, Dan Patrick, and Craig Kilborn were the proverbial coolest kids in the room. ESPN threw everything into Eisen’s nostalgic return, including throwback horns, music, and graphics from a broadcast era gone by. He was joined in-studio by NFL analyst Mina Kimes.
Eisen is also closely linked to the late, great anchor Stuart Scott, who’s revered inside and outside ESPN. Fighting back tears, Eisen delivered an emotional tribute to Scott, his former on-air partner who died after a battle with cancer in 2015. Eisen’s continued presence on SportsCenter will reinforce the corporate marriage of the once-rival ESPN and NFLN if the deal is approved by regulatory authorities.
ESPN recently signed 23-year-old Katie Feeney as a sports and lifestyle creator. The Penn State grad will be the daily lead for SportsCenter on SnapChat, while making appearances on College Gameday, Sunday NFL Countdown, and Monday Night Countdown. But SportsCenter’s most loyal fans are older viewers who grew up watching the show. Given the popular reaction to Eisen’s appearance, ESPN might want to create an oldies version of the iconic show.
During a press conference previewing ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer platform, president of content Burke Magnus said he was thrilled by the widespread acclaim for Eisen’s SportsCenter return on Monday night.
“That was pretty cool. I woke up to a bushel of text messages and emails,” said Magnus.
