NBC Sports is moving on from Jac Collinsworth on its Notre Dame football coverage. Plus: Amazon’s price tag for its NFL Wild Card game is reportedly as much as $150 million; Eli Gold is not returning as the voice of Alabama football.
Collinsworth out as NBC’s Notre Dame voice
NBC Sports broadcaster Jac Collinsworth will no longer serve as the company’s lead voice on Notre Dame football, The Athletic reported Thursday. Dan Hicks, who held the role until 2016, will replace him alongside Jason Garrett. Collinsworth, the son of NBC lead NFL analyst Cris Collinsworth, had been the voice of Notre Dame games the past two seasons.
Per the report, Collinsworth will continue to serve as a play-by-play voice on college football and basketball games carried by the Peacock streaming service.
While Hicks and Garrett will serve as the primary Notre Dame broadcast team, NBC will assign its lead college football pairing of Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge any Notre Dame game that is deemed the best of the week. That was also the case last season, when Eagle and Blackledge worked NBC’s marquee Ohio State-Notre Dame game.
Amazon reportedly paying as much as $150 million for Wild Card game
CNBC reported Wednesday that Amazon is paying $150 million for rights to an NFL Wild Card playoff game next season, higher than the $120 million reported by Front Office Sports earlier in the day. Either total will exceed the $110 million Peacock paid for its streaming-exclusive playoff game last season. If the CNBC report is accurate, Amazon will pay the NFL an additional $250 million in rights fees for just its Wild Card and Black Friday games. The company is already paying $1.1 billion/year for Thursday Night Football. (CNBC via Awful Announcing 2.21)
Alabama moves on from longtime football voice Eli Gold
Longtime Alabama football voice Eli Gold will not be returning next season after the university elected to replace him with basketball voice Chris Stewart, it was announced Wednesday. Gold, who missed the entire 2022 season due to significant health issues, told AL.com that he is not retiring and emphasized that the move has nothing to do with his health. He disclosed on Thursday that he has accepted a position with a professional sports team, with an official announcement Friday.
Gold is under contract through June, but will not call the annual Alabama “A-day” spring football game. (AL.com 2.21)
