ESPN is bringing back one of its most treasured shows.
ESPN announced Friday that it is bringing back the Sunday edition of NFL Primetime effective this weekend, with Chris Berman and Tom Jackson reprising their roles on the show. The new version of Primetime will air Sundays at 7:30 PM ET, but will be available only on ESPN+.
Sports Business Daily first reported the news Friday, with ESPN’s official announcement coming minutes afterward.
NFL Primetime will be available on demand for three days after airing, with the show being updated to include highlights of the Sunday night game (read by Scott Van Pelt) and Monday night game (read by Joe Tessitore).
The Sunday edition of Primetime debuted in 1987 when ESPN first obtained NFL rights, and ran until it lost the Sunday Night Football package — and rights to the Sunday evening highlight show — to NBC in 2006. In the Jim Miller ESPN book “Those Guys Have All the Fun,” Berman referred to ESPN losing Primetime as “a [screwup] of the tenth magnitude.”
Berman and Jackson worked together on the Sunday show for its entire run, with the cast also including some of ESPN’s best-known talent, from Robin Roberts to Stuart Scott. Since the show ended, Berman and Jackson paired on a similar Sunday evening version of SportsCenter for a number of years. More recently, ESPN has aired special Berman-hosted editions of Primetime following the NFL conference championship games and Super Bowl, with the now-retired Jackson occasionally joining him.
It should be noted that NFL Primetime has remained part of ESPN’s schedule as a weekday show since the Sunday edition was canceled, with Trey Wingo serving as host.
