or


[05/12/25 - 10:00 AM]
Chris Berman Extends Deal Through ESPN and His 50th Anniversaries
Berman, who has been closely associated with ESPN's NFL coverage beginning with the 1981 NFL Draft, will contribute to the coverage of ESPN's first Super Bowl on February 14, 2027.

[via press release from ESPN]

CHRIS BERMAN EXTENDS DEAL THROUGH ESPN AND HIS 50TH ANNIVERSARIES

INCLUDES ROLE IN ESPN'S FIRST SUPER BOWL IN 2027

Legendary ESPN anchor Chris Berman, who joined the network just after its September 7, 1979, launch, has extended his contract and as a result, in 2029 would be ESPN's first employee to celebrate their 50th anniversary.

Berman, who has been closely associated with ESPN's NFL coverage beginning with the 1981 NFL Draft, will contribute to the coverage of ESPN's first Super Bowl on February 14, 2027. Berman, the recipient of many football honors including the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is the long-time host of NFL PrimeTime, which continues in 2025 on ESPN+ and with post-season special editions on ESPN. In 2000, 2003 and 2006, Chris anchored ABC's Super Bowl XXXIV, XXXVII and XL pre-game shows

Chris Berman said: "I came to ESPN at 24 years young for my first full-time TV job. I had a full head of hair, was wet behind the ears, and my assignment was to host the wrap-up SportsCenter at 2:30 a.m. ESPN had been on the air for less than a month and we had fewer than 100 employees.

"Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined turning 70 and still being here at our network, which long ago became an icon of sports broadcasting. We're closing in on our very first Super Bowl, and now I will be able to be part of that, too.

"My thank yous are to everyone who has worked at ESPN-past, present and future. The same goes out to our viewers-past, present and future-as you welcome us into your homes with the same love of sports we have.

"It is mind-blowing to think that I now have the opportunity and good fortune to work here for 50 years, which would be two-thirds of my entire life!"

ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro added: "For a remarkable half-century, Chris has embodied ESPN with his smart and entertaining style. Boomer's enjoyment of sports jumps through the screen and generations of fans have loved being along for the ride. ESPN has been so fortunate to have Chris making us better for decades and I am delighted that will continue beyond our 50th anniversary. And no studio broadcaster has meant more to NFL coverage than Chris and to have his presence on our first Super Bowl presentation is both apropos and significant."

Berman joined ESPN on October 1, 1979 and celebrated his 70th birthday May 10. He is a six-time National Sportscaster of the Year and a member of several Halls of Fame, including the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, the National Sports Media Association (formerly NSSA) Hall of Fame and Cable Hall of Fame.

NFL PrimeTime, the highest-rated studio show in cable history, is what he may be best known for, but his contributions have been impressively wide. When ESPN first got NFL rights in 1987, Berman was already the host of NFL GameDay (later named NFL Countdown) and continued in that role for a total of 31 years.

Berman regularly hosted ESPN's flagship SportsCenter during the network's first 11 years, often doing 10 shows a week. And his other works have ranged from Major League Baseball to the NHL to golf and even darts.

Berman's catch phrases have entered the sports lexicon from: "He could... go... all... the... way", "Back, Back, Back, Back, Back" and "Whoop!".

Throughout his career, viewers have loved Chris' lighthearted and humorous approach, including his nicknames. Berman's personal favorites from the more than 1,000 monikers he has coined include: Bert "Be Home" Blyleven, Roberto "Remember the" Alomar, and Jim "Two Silhouettes On" Deshaies for baseball; plus Andre "Bad Moon Rison and Mike "You're in Good Hands with" Alstott for football.

His coverage of Major League Baseball for ESPN spanned almost four decades and has included play-by-play and hosting the Home Run Derby from 1986-2016 plus Baseball Tonight. Berman's most significant contribution to MLB history came Sept. 6, 1995, when he handled play-by-play for the Emmy Award-winning telecast of Cal Ripken's 2,131st consecutive game in 1995. Among those who joined him in the booth was President Bill Clinton.

He covered 31 All-Star games and 30 World Series for ESPN, including the 1989 San Francisco Earthquake.

BERMAN AND THE NFL

He partnered on ESPN NFL studio shows with Tom Jackson for 30 years, including 19 years on NFL PrimeTime. The unheard of in TV mark is just one year shy of the longest duo - 31 years - Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon. And Chris' 31 years hosting were more than double the years his NFL studio role model Brent Musburger achieved.

In January 2017, following the final Sunday NFL Countdown show Berman hosted in Bristol, Conn., ESPN fittingly renamed the NFL studio in its Digital Center 2 "The Chris Berman-Tom Jackson studio."

Berman's signature weekly halftime highlights trip through the NFL, "The Fastest Three Minutes in Television." was a staple on ESPN's Sunday Night Football for all 19 years (1987-2005) and continued Monday Nights through 2016 and returned in 2019. It remains a fundamental part of ESPN's NFL game presentation.

The pre-eminent NFL host, Berman serves as Master of Ceremony for the prestigious Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony, spanning more than two decades, starting in 1999.

The "Swami," Berman's prognosticating alter-ego, provided weekly NFL predictions and observations on SportsCenter starting ESPN's first year in 1979.

The 2027 Super Bowl will be the 45th that Chris will have worked for ESPN.

MORE BOOMER

Berman is also a golf enthusiast who has played in countless PGA TOUR pro-ams, and enjoyed working the US Open for ESPN from 1986-2014. He has played himself in 15 motion pictures and is expected to be in his 16th this summer with the release of Happy Gilmore 2.

The history major at Brown (1977) is now an historical figure at ESPN and in sports media.

Berman began his career as a disc jockey, sports expert and traffic reporter first at WERI in Westerly, R.I. and then WNVR In Waterbury, Conn.. His first TV assignment was as a weekend sports anchor on WVIT in Hartford, Conn. in the summer of 1979

-30-





  [may 2025]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





[10/24/25 - 02:30 PM]
Video: First Look at Upcoming New Drama "Memory of a Killer" Starring Patrick Dempsey and Michael Imperioli - Premiering This January on FOX
Dempsey stars as a hitman, Angelo Doyle, leading a dangerous double life while hiding an even deadlier personal secret - he has developed early onset Alzheimer's.

[10/24/25 - 02:02 PM]
"20/20" Is Friday's Most-Watched Newsmagazine Across the Board
In addition, "20/20" posted its best Adults 25-54 in more than four months.

[10/24/25 - 02:01 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 Across the Board, Leading NBC in All Key Demos for the 4th Straight Week
"Nightline" grew year to year across the board: Total Viewers, Adults 25-54, and Adults 18-49.

[10/24/25 - 01:05 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Makes Television History - Rising for Fifth Straight Week
The October 21 episode scored 6.63 million Total Viewers and a 1.38 rating among Adults 18-49, hitting new season highs in both demographics.

[10/24/25 - 08:01 AM]
Netflix Announces "Hollywood Arts," A Brand-New Spinoff of Hit Live-Action, "Victorious," with Daniella Monet Returning as Star and Executive Producer
The series is set to debut on Netflix in 2026, followed by releases on Nickelodeon and Paramount+.

[10/24/25 - 07:14 AM]
FOX Sports Readies for Major League Baseball's 121st World Series Presented by Capital One
Action leads off Friday, October 24, between the National League and current reigning World champion Los Angeles Dodgers and American League champion Toronto Blue Jays from Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada, on FOX, FOX Deportes, the FOX Sports App and FOX One.

[10/24/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Love Is Blind" Season 9: The Reunion - Official Trailer - Netflix
Denver singles shake up their search for "the one" and step into the pods, braving twists, turns and love triangles to find their soulmate sight unseen.

[10/24/25 - 07:01 AM]
Experience the Family, the Fun, and the Fantastic! Marvel Studios' "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" Lands Exclusively on Disney+ November 5
Continuing the celebration of Marvel's First Family, the announcement was made live from SpaceCon 2025 in San Antonio, where The Fantastic Four: First Steps Immersive Pop-Up Experience invites attendees to step inside the iconic Baxter Building.

[10/24/25 - 06:00 AM]
The CW Network and Xfinity Celebrate 11 Years of the NASCAR Xfinity Series by Presenting the Third Stage of the Championship Race Commercial-Free
Taking place in Phoenix, Arizona, on Saturday, November 1, the commercial-free stage presented by Xfinity was created to thank the loyal race fans who have supported the NASCAR Xfinity Series for more than a decade - helping the series grow through their unwavering enthusiasm, increased viewership, and continued trackside attendance.

[10/23/25 - 05:01 PM]
Video: "As You Stood By" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When two women plot to end an abusive marriage through murder, an unexpected visitor arrives - threatening to shatter everything they've carefully planned.

[10/23/25 - 02:33 PM]
Largest Audience for "NBA Tip-Off" Doubleheader Since 2010 as NBA Returned to NBC and Debuted on Peacock
Tuesday night's audience across NBC and Peacock peaked at 7.1 million viewers from 10:45-11 p.m. ET as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder to a one-point win over the Houston Rockets in double overtime.

[10/23/25 - 02:28 PM]
The 305 Just Got Hotter: "Love & Hip Hop: Miami" Moves to BET Season 7 Premieres Tuesday, November 4 at 8 PM ET/PT
The upcoming seventh season dives deeper than ever into Miami's thriving entertainment scene, following a cast of stars who are rebuilding, rebranding, and redefining success in real time.

[10/23/25 - 01:30 PM]
Critically Acclaimed Noir Thriller, "Dark Winds," to Return to AMC and AMC+ Sunday, February 15
The series' gripping fourth season focuses on the search for a missing Navajo girl, which takes Leaphorn, Chee and Manuelito from the safety of Navajo Nation to the gritty terrain of 1970s Los Angeles in a race against the clock to save her from an obsessive killer with ties to organized crime.

[10/23/25 - 12:01 PM]
Video: BET+ Releases Trailer for Horror Film "A Demon's Revenge"
In the film, following the bloodshed in Belize, Peaches, played by Jhoné Lucas, delves deeper into Caribbean folklore and the terrifying truth that lurks beneath.

[10/23/25 - 12:00 PM]
FOX Entertainment Acquires Equity Stake in Chain, Forging Strategic Partnership with Experiential Food Phenomenon Co-Founded by B.J. Novak
Included in the investment is a first look development deal through Chain Media.