NFL Network personality Rich Eisen will soon be returning, at least partially, to his roots at ESPN, according to a report from The Athletic.
Souces briefed on the move tell the Athletic ‘The Rich Eisen Show’ will move from Roku to ESPN this fall as part of the network’s new direct-to-consumer service. The report also says there ‘is a strong possibility’ Eisen’s weekday show – which runs from noon to 3 p.m. ET – could also be aired on ESPN Radio.
The move would reportedly be structured similar to an arrangement ESPN has with Pat McAfee, who licenses his namesake talk show to ESPN but still maintains ownership and editorial control.
Eisen, whose show airs at the same time as McAfee’s, is not expected to be on any of ESPN’s linear networks, which include ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNews, according to the report.
Eisen, 55, was one of ESPN’s more popular anchors when he was hired by NFL Network as one of its first employees ahead its November 2003 launch.
The new deal won’t affect his status with NFL Network, where he will remain the main anchor for its Game Day and draft coverage. Eisen also serves as the play-by-play announcer for select regular-season games on the network.
ESPN – which this fall is set to begin offering the new service allowing consumers access to its programming without a cable subscription – declined to comment.
