https://nypost.com/2021/06/03/amazon-pursuing-al-michaels-mega-deal-to-make-him-lead-nfl-voice/

"NBC’s Al Michaels has emerged as Amazon Prime’s top choice to do play-by-play for its forthcoming exclusive Thursday Night NFL package," reports the New York Post's Andrew Marchand. "The courting has already begun with NBC an active part of the discussions that could include its top production people being part of a potential deal as well, according to sources, when Amazon begins its exclusive broadcast in the 2022-23 season. Though Amazon is focused on Michaels, he is not alone on the platform’s list. Amazon also has interest in Fox’s Joe Buck and CBS’ Ian Eagle."

Amazon might be doing NBC and Fox a favor with their attempted moves...

Al Michaels hints he's headed to Amazon for Thursday Night Football next NFL season (https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2021/11/04/al-michaels-amazon-thursday-night-football)

The New York Post’s Andrew Marchand reported in September that it’s “90 percent likely” (https://nypost.com/2021/09/20/al-michaels-expected-to-join-amazon-thursday-night-football/) that the longtime Sunday Night Football play-by-play announcer would be leaving when Amazon obtains exclusive rights to Thursday Night Football next season. When asked point blank by Jimmy Traina on the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast, Michaels responded (https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1456289395884142599): “Right now, I’m playing out this year. My contract is up at the end of the season. NBC has been great to me. If there is a combination for production between Amazon and NBC, that creates a different template here. Because in effect, we would wind up overseeing two packages. It’s not a deal yet. I know it’s being discussed. Amazon will probably need a partner for production and we’ll see what’s gonna happen at the end of the year."

Amazon reportedly wants to team Al Michaels and Troy Aikman for its Thursday Night Football booth (https://frontofficesports.com/troy-aikman-amazon-thursday-night-football/)

The play-by-play announcer for NBC's Sunday Night Football and the analyst for Fox's No. 1 NFL announcing team would form a Thursday Night Football "dream team," sources tells Front Office Sports. Aikman currently calls Thursday Night Football games for Fox.

Amazon might be doing NBC and Fox a favor with their attempted moves...

Buck sucks, but Al Michaels is still good.

Amazon is in a "holding pattern" as it awaits whether Al Michaels will join Thursday Night Football (https://nypost.com/2022/02/10/al-michaels-center-of-nfl-tv-frenzy-when-super-bowl-2022-ends/)

After calling his 11th Super Bowl on Sunday, Michaels' future will be up in the air since his NBC contract is expiring. Meanwhile, there's speculation that he could be paired at Amazon with Fox's Troy Aikman. "This Michaels deal has been at the 1-yard line for a long time, and Amazon has waited to see if an agreement will finally be pushed across the goal line," says the New York Post's Andrew Marchand, who adds that it's looking likely that Marshawn Lynch and Tony Gonzalez will be part of the Thursday Night Football pregame show.

ALSO:


Al Michaels’ career is proof the best broadcasters are two different people (https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/2/10/22926986/al-michaels-nbc-super-bowl): "On the one hand, Michaels is a machine-like play-by-play announcer," says Bryan Curtis. "But Michaels works very hard to tell us he’s not a machine, that he knows about wisecracks and over-unders and the peculiar magic of Malcolm Butler. Put another way, Michaels has a TV professional’s skill but not his blow-dried soul. It’s the same message Joe Buck spent 15 years trying to get across." As Curtis points out, "Michaels was 41 when he called his first Monday Night Football game. He’d already announced several World Series and the Miracle on Ice for ABC. But for a ’70s institution, he counted as a fresh face. In 1985, Monday Night Football had Frank Gifford calling his 15th year of play-by-play, with Joe Namath and O.J. Simpson handling the analysis. Or trying to. ABC was so down on Simpson that it’d replaced him on the Super Bowl broadcast with Joe Theismann, an active player. The next year, Roone Arledge, the presumed emperor-for-life of ABC Sports, was moved out during an ownership change. His replacement, Dennis Swanson, gave Michaels the play-by-play job. Gifford was demoted to analyst...The refurbished Monday Night Football was a show built for the moment in cultural time when the ’80s was turning into the ’90s. "

Al Michaels reportedly agrees to join Amazon's Thursday Night Football (https://nypost.com/2022/03/21/al-michaels-headed-to-amazon-for-joe-buck-money/)

The longtime Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football broadcaster is set (https://awfulannouncing.com/amazon/al-michaels-three-year-big-money-deal-with-amazon-is-close-to-becoming-official.html) to make a salary "near the Joe Buck neighborhood," reports the New York Post's Andrew Marchand. Buck recently signed a five-year, $75 million deal to join ESPN's Monday Night Football. Michaels will be partnered with ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit. An official announcement could come later this week.

Amazon makes Al Michaels-Kirk Herbstreit pairing official for Thursday Night Football (https://www.si.com/nfl/2022/03/23/kirk-herbstreit-joins-amazon-as-nfl-analyst-continues-duties-with-espn)

After a decade and a half at NBC, Michaels will team up with ESPN college football analyst Herbstreit to call NFL games on Thursday nights. Herbstreit is expected to earn $10 million a year, while Michaels is poised to make around $15 million a year (https://nypost.com/2022/03/21/al-michaels-headed-to-amazon-for-joe-buck-money/). ALSO: Herbstreit will continue his ESPN duties -- in fact, ESPN picked up a three-year extension on top of the two years that were already on his contract (https://nypost.com/2022/03/23/kirk-herbstreit-revived-his-nfl-dream-in-turbulent-broadcasting-market/).

Al Michaels is staying with NBC and will call an NFL playoff game in an "emeritus" role (https://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2022/05/24/al-michaels-named-to-emeritus-role-with-nbc-sports/)

Michaels' leaving NBC's Sunday Night Football for Amazon's Thursday Night Football doesn't mean he's exiting NBC altogether. NBC Sports announced today that "Michaels will continue to broadcast and contribute across NBC Sports’ high-profile properties, including the NFL Playoffs and the Olympics." “I’m looking forward to continuing my longtime NBC relationship while also launching the Thursday Night Football package on Amazon this fall," Michaels said in a statement. "A special thanks to NBC Sports Chairman Pete Bevacqua and the folks at NBCUniversal for their help in making this happen." According to the New York Post's Andrew Marchand, NBC is getting three NFL playoff games next season. Michaels will call one of them.

Amazon's Thursday Night Football debut wasn't exactly innovative. (https://sports.yahoo.com/amphtml/amazons-thursday-night-football-debut-165130551.html)

Viewers had some technical complaints about the streaming service (https://www.forbes.com/sites/jefffedotin/2022/09/16/amazons-thursday-night-football-makes-splashy-debut-with-a-few-glitches/)'s first game (https://www.forbes.com/sites/jefffedotin/2022/09/16/amazons-thursday-night-football-makes-splashy-debut-with-a-few-glitches/), but the (https://mashable.com/article/amazon-thursday-night-football-first-impressions) broadcast (https://www.theverge.com/2022/9/16/23356031/amazon-thursday-night-football-nfl-streaming) went smooth overall.

Amazon Prime Video under fire for its Thursday Night Football handling of Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa's scary head injury. (https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/amazon-prime-tua-tagovailoa-injury-thursday-night-football/fllfglf5mvj31i02krgcdzcx)

Amazon’s ‘Thursday Night Football’ criticized for initial Tua Tagovailoa injury coverage, though they soon adjusted (https://awfulannouncing.com/amazon/tua-tagovailoa-thursday-night-football-injury-concussion-halftime-nfl.html)

Tua Tagovailoa injury: NFL fans rip Amazon for poor coverage, replays (https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/tua-tagovailoa-injury-amazon-replay-criticism)

Al Michaels has seemed to have been an NFL/sports announcer seemingly forever, but for decades. Has to be a fun job, going to football games and chatter for two to three hours. I sort of wish however that sports announcers could be done away with and be able to watch a game without them. I think NBC tried this in an NFL game back in the 1980's once, but everyone else wants the announcers telling them what is happening on the field, when the viewer is themselves, watching the damn game.

I am more of a major college football fan but find the vast majority of announcers to be grating. Mostly it having to listen to people (again) chatter the whole time. It is like watching a movie in a theater and someone or a group of people wont shut up.

When a play is starting, the announcer is right there telling us the play is starting "It's 2nd and 12, and Smith is in the shotgun formation...." and then "he passes to Jones for the first down!" I know, I am watching the game. "They are close to a first down", again, Yeah, I am watching the game, I dont need you to tell me this. Or if a team is very close to a first down "The referees are coming out with the chain!" Again, I am watching it now, I am not an imbecile. Then during down times where there is a flag and the referees are having a conference, or an injury, or a timeout, the announcers just talk and chatter nonsense with the other announcer. Makes you wonder if they arent doing lines of coke during the commercials to keep up the motor mouth for three hours.

What I usually do since I live in Asia is I watch "clips" of the games on Sunday mornings on YouTube. Usually the clips are about ten to fifteen minutes. The highlights. I mostly mute the announcers (because they wont shut up). But I wish there was an option to watch a game without them. Just hear the players, and the crowd noise.

I used to go to a bar where they would play music (like most places) but during World Cup would have a screen and a projector and killed the music. I asked why cant the place play music and have the game on, and it was because people need to hear the game, as in hear the relentless chatterboxes who wont shut up telling us what we are seeing.

Lastly, anything Amazon is involved with, I have less than no interest. Amazon is one of the worst employers of all time. This dusgusting company and their bald headed troll leader wants to shut down all the stores in America and force everyone to shop online, working his employees to death, while now trying to take over broadcasting. No thanks.