The trend of presenting alternate National Football League (NFL) telecasts will continue next month when Comcast’s NBC Universal and Peacock get in on the action.
On December 21, NBC Sports will produce an alternate broadcast of its match-up between the Houston Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs that will stream on Peacock. The broadcast, called the “EA Sports Madden NFL Cast,” will blend video game elements into live action, and promises to be “an immersive, data-powered live football experience that injects Madden NFL’s unique brand elements as animated overlays.”
The alternate telecast comes amid similar experiments by Paramount Global and the Walt Disney Company, which have reimagined on-field action happening in real-time through the use of computer animation. On December 9, Disney will produce an alternate football broadcast featuring characters from “The Simpsons” during its match-up between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Dallas Cowboys.
As described, the EA Sports Madden NFL Cast won’t use computer animation to reimagine a football game happening in real-time; instead, it will simply use graphics and other on-screen elements to present the game as if it were taking place in the EA Sports universe.
The broadcast will be streamed exclusively through Peacock, and will include its own commentary team, including NBC Sports play-by-play announcer Paul Burmeister, Madden NFL expert Kurt Benkert and retired Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco Johnson.
“We are excited to work with the NFL, EA Ssports, and Genius Sports to offer fans the ability to watch Madden NFL come to life like never before exclusively on Peacock, which has established itself as a home for premium live sports and innovative viewing experiences,” Fred Gaudelli, the Executive Producer of NFL at NBC Sports, said in a statement. “This first-ever Madden NFL Cast marks a new milestone as Peacock’s first sports alt-cast — not only are the Texans and Chiefs in first place in their respective divisions, but they have star players at multiple positions whose avatars will help us analyze the game’s biggest plays through the Madden NFL 25 lens.”
Gaudelli said it was “a point of pride for John and the Madden family that their video game has helped generations of fans and gamers learn and enjoy football, and we are thrilled to continue that tradition.”
“We are constantly looking for exciting and innovative ways to present our game, and we are incredibly excited about the opportunity to bring together the Madden game, our Next Gen Stats platform and NBC Sports’ incredible production to create an entirely new way to experience an NFL game on Peacock,” Hans Schroeder, the EVP of Media Distribution at the NFL, said on Thursday. “The Madden game franchise has had an indelible impact on generations of football fans and gamers alike, and we look forward to honoring that legacy with this unique broadcast of a crucial matchup with postseason implications.”
“At EA Sports, we’re always exploring innovative ways to bring fans closer to the game they love, and the Madden NFL Cast is a groundbreaking step in that direction,” said Andrea Hopelain, the SVP and General Manager of Publishing at EA Sports, said in a statement. “By merging the excitement of live NFL action with the immersive possibilities of augmented reality, we’re redefining how fans experience football. Partnering with NBC Sports, Peacock, the NFL, and Genius Sports on this initiative allows us to deliver a dynamic broadcast that showcases the power of Madden NFL in a whole new way outside the game.”
“We’re delighted to be working alongside the NFL, NBC Sports, Peacock and EA Sports to help deliver the first-of-its-kind Madden branded alternate broadcast,” said Steve Bornstein, the President of Genius Sports’ North America business. “Leveraging Genius IQ’s groundbreaking technology and the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, the Madden NFL Cast is a fully immersive viewing experience designed to engage a whole new generation of fans.”
The main broadcast and alternate EA Sports Madden NFL Cast will air on Saturday, December 21 at 1 p.m. Eastern Time.
