Amazon Prime Video is the exclusive home of Thursday Night Football, beginning with the 2022 NFL season (TNF games have been simulcast on Fox in the past, but now the games are exclusively on Amazon; the local markets of the teams involved in a game will still carry the game on free over-the-air television).
The regular-season Amazon TNF debut isn’t until Sept. 15, when the Los Angeles Chargers take on the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
But Thursday night’s preseason game between the San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans served as the official debut of the Amazon TNF broadcast.
Here’s a look at Amazon’s TNF studio team — which includes Ryan Fitzpatrick — and set on the sideline at NRG Stadium:
And here’s a look at the Amazon TNF scorebug:
The broadcast features Al Michaels (previously NBC’s Sunday Night Football announcer) on play-by-play and Kirk Herbstreit (who’s the top college football analyst for ESPN) as the color commentator. Kaylee Hartung is the sideline reporter.
Here’s an example of the broadcast in action on a Texans touchdown and extra point, to go with replays:
And here are more examples of the graphics and features of the broadcast:
The NFL world has had a lot to say about the Amazon TNF broadcast debut, and most fans have been impressed. Here’s a sampling of the reaction on Twitter:
Amazon Prime's NFL coverage so far…
Pregame: A
Score bug: A+
Broadcast team: A+It actually feels like Amazon and not just another TNF game from NFLN with Fox/CBS/NBC.
— Andrew Hammond (@ahammALDC) August 26, 2022
https://twitter.com/bobano/status/1562962275358478336
[Photo Credit: Amazon Prime Video]
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.