• Loading stock data...
Saturday, October 18, 2025

NFL Embracing Multicast Approach To Live Game Coverage

Jan 28, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA: NFL Shield logo and helmets on display at the Super Bowl LIII Experience at the Georgia World Congress Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The NFL is increasingly experimenting with a multicast approach toward games, with separate announce teams for different platforms.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL’s television partners have broadcast games the same way for decades. TV viewers saw one play-by-play announcer, one color analyst and maybe a sideline reporter. If you didn’t like the analysis from, say, Jason Witten of ESPN, you turned off the sound or changed the channel.

But what if you could choose among multiple linear/digital options for your game experience? What if you could choose from different announce teams and approaches similar to ESPN’s “MegaCast” coverage of the College Football Playoff’s National Championship? Well, the future is closer than you think.

Brian Rolapp, executive vice president of media, said the league continues to “experiment” with alternate telecasts as more TV viewers migrate to digital platforms. 

The league uses the Thursday Night game package as its main laboratory for experimentation, noted Rolapp. Take Fox Sports’ 11-game slate of Thursday Night Football telecasts that kicked off Sep. 26, he said.

All of these games will be simulcast on broadcast (Fox), cable (NFL Network) and Spanish-Language TV (Fox Deportes) plus streaming video (Amazon Prime Video). 

Thursday night’s coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles’ 34-27 win over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field was called by multiple announce teams.

There was the main telecast on Fox/NFL Network, with Joe Buck as the play-by-play announcer, Troy Aikman as color analyst, Mike Pereira as rules analyst and Erin Andrews and Kristina Pink as sideline reporters. 

But Fox Deportes also offered its own Spanish-language coverage with play-by-play announcer Adrian Garcia-Marquez, ex-Arizona Cardinals lineman Rolando Cantu as analyst and Jaime Motta as a reporter. 

On radio, Westwood One’s Ian Eagle and Tony Boselli had the call. For the second season in a row, Andrea Kremer and Hannah Storm provided alternative game commentary via Amazon’s live Thursday Night game stream. 

The everybody in the pool approach worked. Eagles-Packers averaged 18.6 million viewers across all platforms, including Fox, NFL Network, Fox Deportes, NFL and Fox digital, Amazon, Twitch and Yahoo. 

That was up more than 25% vs. Fox’s 11-game average last year, according to NFL spokesman Andrew Howard. And up 23% vs. last season’s comparable Week 4 matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings. Thursday’s Eagles-Packers drew the highest digital average minute audience for any NFL game on record at 1.4 million. 

So will there be more alternate telecasts in the future?  

“We’re certainly open to that,” answered Rolapp. “You see what we’re doing on Thursday Night Football. We’re not only distributing 11 of those games on Amazon Prime but they’re also on Twitch (a platform for gamers).”

READ MORE: Mission Accomplished: ESPN’s Jimmy Pitaro Healing Fractured NFL Relationship

Meanwhile, ESPN has also been taking a multicast approach on Monday Night Football. 

There’s the primary telecast with play-by-play announcer Joe Tessitore, analyst Booger McFarland, sideline reporter Lisa Salters and new officiating analyst John Parry.

With Witten returning to the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, ESPN canceled the silly “BoogerMobile” experiment and put McFarland in the booth with Tessitore where he belongs. 

“Their chemistry together in the booth – and with Lisa – will give us a team that fans want to spend Monday nights with this fall,” said Stephanie Druley, ESPN executive vice president of event and studio production in a statement. 

But there’s also the separate Spanish-language team of play-by-play announcer Alvaro Martin, analyst Raul Allegre and sideline reporter John Sutcliffe for ESPN International’s Monday Night coverage.

Don’t forget ESPN parent Disney rolled out two separate announce teams on sister networks to cover the 2019 NFL Draft. There was Robin Roberts, Kirk Herbstreit and the rest of the College GameDay crew on ABC, along with Trey Wingo and Mel Kiper Jr. on ESPN.

If ESPN has its way, said sources, it would like to experiment with a MegaCast approach toward NFL games in the future.

On January 7, for example, ESPN offered viewers 17 separate presentations of Clemson’s 44-16 thumping of Alabama. 

They included: a TechCast, Goodyear BlimpCast and Field Pass. 

ESPN’s Coaches Film Room version of the championship game has proven popular with fans in the past. Internally, ESPN executives see a possible future Coaches Film Room version of Monday Night airing at the same time as the main telecast on a sister channel like ABC or ESPN2. 

The NFL’s not there yet, said Rolapp. The league knows its popularity has always depended on the reach of broadcast TV. But as more cord-cutters and cord-nevers migrate from broadcast/cable TV to digital/ streaming, the league has to keep adapting. 

Besides, Rolapp has yet to see an entity that can broadcast NFL games as well as the league’s own TV partners: NBC, CBS, Fox, ESPN and the NFL Network.

READ MORE: NFL Aiming To Top This Year’s Popular Super Bowl Spot

“I think the producers who produce these games are underrated in what they do. They’re really good at giving you what you want to see from every angle – and every replay. They’re really good at what they do,” said Rolapp. 

“I’ve been in this business a long time. Everyone always has an idea: ‘Let the fan choose their camera angle.’ But every time we do something like that, the fan comes back to us and says, ‘You know? NBC is pretty good at producing a game, I kind of like what they do.’”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

IndyCar driver Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood, left, celebrates winning the Detroit Grand Prix with team co-owner Dan Towriss in Detroit on Sunday, June 1, 2025.

Cadillac F1 CEO Dan Towriss Defends  $700 Million Apple Deal

“We’re going to have a bigger reach than what people think.”
Hansi Flick

Barcelona Players, Coach ‘Not Happy’ About Miami Game

La Liga is on the verge of relocating a December match.
Apr 11, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view of an NBA basketball and backyard and NBA logo before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Toronto Raptors at the American Airlines Center.

NBA Tries to Solve Fragmentation Issue It Helped Create

A new “Tap to Watch” feature will direct fans to live games.
Jun 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Second place Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen (1) sprays champagne on winner Mercedes driver George Russell (63) at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.

Apple Officially Taking F1 Rights From ESPN in $700M Deal

ESPN has broadcast F1 in the U.S. since 2018.

Featured Today

May 27, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) shoots a three point basket over New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the third quarter of game four of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

NBA Stars Swap Wine With League Friends and Foes

A wine-exchange tradition emerged from the bubble season’s close quarters.
May 25, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Derek Jeter walks the red carpet on Sunday, May 25, 2025, ahead of the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
October 16, 2025

The Players’ Tribune Is Still Kicking 11 Years Later

Founder Derek Jeter is still closely involved in the publication.
Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates with her teammates after her last second shot to take the lead 90-88 against the Phoenix Mercury in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 8, 2025.
exclusive
October 10, 2025

Standoff Over WNBA’s Future Has Dominated Finals

CBA negotiations have stolen the spotlight from the Aces’ dominant performance.
Paul Cartier
October 5, 2025

Sports Organists Are Still Thriving in the Era of Raucous Arena Music

“When they walk out and they see a real organ guy, it’s like, ‘Wow.’”
Mar 12, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; General view of ESPN broadcast camera during a game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena.

ESPN’s New NBA Segment Resists Hot Takes

LeBron James tweeted in favor of the new segment.
Oct 10, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates with teammates after game four of the 2025 WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center.
October 14, 2025

WNBA Finals Draws 1.5M Viewers, Second-Highest Series on ESPN

The four-game series averaged 1.5 million viewers.
Aug 30, 2025; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Brandon Inniss (1) attempts to make a catch over Texas Longhorns defensive back Graceson Littleton (29) in the first half at Ohio Stadium.
October 16, 2025

SEC Games Help ABC Dominate College Football Ratings at Midseason

Texas–Ohio State on Fox remains the most-watched game of the season.
Sponsored

How Jenny Just Is Shaping the Future of Sports Ownership

Jenny Just on bringing her investment experience to sports ownership.
MLS
October 14, 2025

MLS Publishes Unchecked AI-Generated Game Recaps

Humans are not reviewing the articles for accuracy.
Micah Parsons
exclusive
October 14, 2025

NFL Scorigami Creator Blames Glitches on Twitter Platform Changes

The bot has been glitching all NFL season, and fans have noticed.
Sep 5, 2025; Flushing, NY, USA; Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Novak Djokovic of Serbia embraces after their match in the semifinal of the men’s singles at the US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
October 13, 2025

Six Kings Slam Returns With Record $6M Prize, Netflix Deal

The Six Kings Slam is held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Mar 5, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view of the NBA logo and NBA app logo and basketballs in front of the base during warms up before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Suns at the American Airlines Center.
October 13, 2025

NBA Will Take Over League Pass After WBD Divorce

The league now has full operational control of those media assets.