CBS Sports will be expanding its Sunday NFL pregame show offerings this upcoming season.
The network announced on Tuesday that it will launch a two-hour, digital-only NFL pregame show dubbed The NFL Today+. The show will stream live at 10 a.m. ET each Sunday morning across CBS Sports’ digital channels.
“NFL content continues to be a powerful driver for Paramount+, and The NFL Today+ marks a new chapter in how we serve fans,” Jeff Gerttula, CBS Head of Digital said in a press release. “This first-of-its-kind, interactive pregame streaming show will reach younger NFL fans where they already consume content. It strengthens our NFL offering while driving continued growth on the platform and redefining the pregame experience. The NFL Today+ is the perfect companion to The NFL Today, delivering three hours of Sunday NFL coverage for a variety of fans.”
Per the announcement, the show will feature real-time NFL news, live look-ins from the sites of games, including on-site reports and interviews, and also feature content creators and influencers. CBS did not reveal any names for individual talents that will appear on the weekly show in its initial announcement.
“CBS Sports pioneered the first live pregame show with The NFL Today decades ago, setting a standard that still shapes pregame shows today,” CBS Sports president David Berson said in the announcement. “With the launch of The NFL Today+, we’re building on that legacy of innovation, now in the digital era, as we connect with the next generation of NFL fans.”
CBS has been keen on placing NFL pregame programming in the early morning hours before other networks go live. The CBS Sports Network cable channel has aired That Other Pregame Show hosted by Adam Schein since 2013. Traditionally, that show has gone live as early as 8 a.m. ET and led all the way into The NFL Today at noon ET on the CBS broadcast network. It’s unclear whether the new digital show is intended to replace That Other Pregame Show or not.
Schein, it was also announced on Tuesday, will serve as the in-game highlights announcer for CBS this NFL season.
CBS has made concerted efforts to spice up its pregame offerings this year. The network previously announced that The NFL Today would begin traveling on-site to select games this season, a move that was widely praised last year when the CBS studio crew traveled to certain games.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.