The Prime Video crew Thursday Evening Soccer is nearly finished, lower than two months earlier than its first common season sport.
Amazon has employed Kaylee Hartung as a sideline reporter, whereas Andrew Whitworth and Aqib Talib have joined for pregame, halftime and postgame protection.
Prime Video’s common season debut because the unique dwelling of the primetime package deal is Sept. 15 when Kansas Metropolis hosts the Los Angeles Chargers.
“It has been an amazing alternative to begin from scratch to essentially convey a brand new perspective,” stated Marie Donoghue, vice chairman of International Sports activities Video at Amazon. “We’ve got nice veterans who’re on the prime of their occupation, whereas bringing in unbelievable personalities who’ve not too long ago left the sport. So it brings a singular present enter.
Hartung returns to sports activities after 5 years with ABC Information and CNN. Beforehand, he was a sideline reporter for ESPN, primarily protecting SEC soccer and school basketball.
In a cellphone interview, Hartung stated he did not depart the game 5 years in the past, however moved on to develop into a extra versatile reporter.
“The vary of alternatives has been cool and I believe it is helped put together me higher for the following step,” he stated. “That is the following nice alternative for me to inform nice tales. Storytelling, whether or not it is information or sports activities, it is the identical craft. And that is what’s been so thrilling about this chance as a result of it is the largest story in sports activities and we’re speaking in regards to the NFL and of the perfect sport that has so many seems.
For sport protection, Hartung will probably be paired with play-by-play announcer Al Michaels and analyst Kirk Herbstreit. Hartung and Herbstreit did a couple of occasions collectively for ESPN, however had been by no means a part of the identical weekly crew on Prime Video.
Whereas Herbstreit will proceed to cowl school soccer for ESPN, Hartung’s final day at ABC Information was final Friday.
Scroll to Proceed
“I’ve heard from each of them how excited I’m to be part of constructing one thing new. And I believe it is undoubtedly a bonding expertise for us to do it collectively,” stated Hartung of Michaels and Herbstreit. “Simply studying from them how they do their jobs and the way they run their enterprise is an unbelievable studying alternative for me.”
Whitworth, who capped a 16-year NFL profession by serving to the Rams to a Tremendous Bowl championship, joins Ryan Fitzpatrick and Richard Sherman on the studio crew that performed final season. Earlier than deciding on Prime Video, the previous offensive lineman and Walter Payton NFL Man of the 12 months recipient acquired a number of curiosity from networks.
“I used to be actually excited to get somewhat little bit of a imaginative and prescient of what they wished to do – to be somewhat bit progressive and alter it up and create a brand new and thrilling expertise. That was simply the place I used to be with creating the tradition and the environment and actually creating the expertise,” Whitworth stated.
Talib performed 12 years within the NFL, together with a Tremendous Bowl title with Denver, earlier than retiring after the 2019 season. He had finished some NFL video games for Fox the previous two seasons.
It was beforehand introduced that Charissa Thompson and Tony Gonzalez may also be on the pregame, halftime and postgame broadcasts.
Donoghue stated plans for some various channels to be obtainable throughout video games are nonetheless being finalized. Prime Video must do some apply video games earlier than the August twenty fifth preseason sport between the San Francisco 49ers and the Houston Texans.
Watch NFL On-line with fuboTV: Attempt it Free!
Extra NFL protection: