NBC removes Al Michaels from NFL playoff coverage, per report

Aug 25, 2024

NBC removes Al Michaels from NFL playoff coverage, per report

Shake up in NFL broadcasting world with veteran play-by-play announces Al Michaels pulled out of NBC’s NFL playoff coverage.

National Football League
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In accordance with Andrew Marchand of New York Post, Michaels is not included in NBC’s lineup for the forthcoming playoffs. It’s amazing to most people since John Michaels who is often the face of NBC’s NFL coverage for more than two decades.

Michales is a legendary individual in sports broadcasting who has announced several of the sport’s greatest performances in the National Football Association (NFL). He has received over nine Emmy Awards for his efforts.

Removing Michaels at this point could be an effort by NBC to push for the growth of a younger generation. It is anticipated that Mike Tirico will become the main commentator in the NFL TV broadcasting by NBC. Over the last couple of years, Tirico has been handling primetime games for NBC and he is reputed to be among the best announcers there are.

Although Michaels will not have the playoff assignment, he still remains on contract at NBC and is expected to do some of the regular season games during the 2024 football season. He will also be called upon to call broadcast Super Bowl LVIII for NBC.

There have been varying responses on the news that Michaels will not be taking part in the playoffs. His departure will be disappointing some fans and some may think that it is a good decision.

It can only be seen in future what influence it is going to have on the NFL coverage of NBC. One thing is for sure: Al Michaels is an exceptional personality in the field of sports broadcasting and it feels weird that we won’t hear his voice anymore on the big stage.

Here are some of the potential reasons why NBC may have decided to remove Al Michaels from the playoffs:

Age: Michaels is 78 years old which suggests that NBC might need an announcer young enough, who will not grow too quickly to call games for several years.
Cost: Michaels is among the most expensive announcers in sports, thus, NBC could be planning to make some budget cuts.
Competition: Recently, ESPN has been vying for position by making huge strides in the NFL broadcasting industry and NBC could be seeking to enhance their coverage so as to keep up with the pace of the said industry.
Change: Networks just want to reorganize and do some reshuffle at times.