Chris Berman will continue to host NFL PrimeTime after agreeing to a new contract with ESPN.<\/p>\n
The multiyear agreement was announced on Berman's 66th birthday Monday.<\/p>\n
\"We've been working on it for a while, and this was the perfect time to do it,\" Berman said during a telephone interview. \"ESPN has been almost two-thirds of my life. I'm honored that what I do still works.\"<\/p>\n
Berman has been an integral part of ESPN throughout its history after joining the network a month after its launch in September 1979. Besides being one of the original SportsCenter anchors, he also has been a key part of the network's NFL and baseball coverage.<\/p>\n
He hosted NFL PrimeTime with Tom Jackson from 1987 to 2005 on ESPN and then starting again in 2019 when it returned on the ESPN+ streaming service. Berman -- who also hosted NFL Countdown from 1985 to 2016 -- teamed up with Booger McFarland for PrimeTime last year when Jackson could not travel due to the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n
Berman approached ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro when ESPN+ started about the possibility of reviving PrimeTime. Berman said seeing the success of PrimeTime on the streaming service has mirrored watching the growth of ESPN.<\/p>\n
\"The fact that I will get to do it again this season is something I have enjoyed the most,\" he said. \"I love being able to help build another entity with it this time being in the streaming world.\"<\/p>\n
Berman said it remains to be determined who will join him on PrimeTime during the coming season.<\/p>\n
Berman was the 2010 recipient of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award and has been the master of ceremonies for the Hall's induction ceremony since 1999.<\/p>\n
\"Quite simply, Chris Berman has personified ESPN's success for more than four decades,\" Norby Williamson, ESPN's executive vice president and executive editor, said in a statement. \"Fans respond to his authentic love of sports, his ability to savor and capture the big moments, and his on-air style that reminds us how live games can truly be equal parts essential and fun. We are delighted Boomer's magical ride at ESPN will continue for years to come.\"<\/p>\n
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Chris Berman signs multiyear extension with ESPN - ESPN<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Chris Berman will continue to host NFL PrimeTime after agreeing to a new contract with ESPN. Continue reading