ESPN announces extension for Berman on his 66th birthday

<p>Chris Berman will continue to host “NFL PrimeTime” after agreeing to a new contract with ESPN.</p>
<p>The multiyear agreement was announced on Berman’s 66th birthday Monday.</p>
<p>“We’ve been working on it for awhile, 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>
<p>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 has been a key part of the network’s NFL and baseball coverage.</p>
<p>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>
<p>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>
<p>“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>
<p>Berman said it remains to be determined who will join him on “PrimeTime” during the upcoming season.</p>
<p>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>
<p>“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>
<hr />
<p>More AP NFL coverage: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/NFL">https://apnews.com/hub/NFL</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_NFL">https://twitter.com/AP_NFL</a></p>