Amazon adds ex-NFL star to ‘Thursday Night Football’ broadcast team, announces first matchup

Tony Gonzalez in Santa Monica, Calif., in 2012. (BigStock Photo)

Former Kansas City Chiefs star and NFL Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez is joining the broadcast team for Amazon’s exclusive streaming of “Thursday Night Football” on Prime Video this season.

Gonzalez played 17 years in the league and was the NFL’s alltime leader in touchdowns (111) when he retired in 2013, and remains the all-time leader in receiving yards (15,127) by a tight end. He will provide analysis and commentary as part of the “TNF” pregame, halftime, and postgame shows, and joins a broadcast team that includes play-by-play announcer Al Michaels and analyst Kirk Herbstreit.

Gonzalez, who currently stars in the Spectrum Originals drama series “Long Slow Exhale,” is the ex of Lauren Sanchez, the current girlfriend of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Gonzalez and Sanchez have an adult son together and have been spotted palling around with Bezos. 

The addition of Gonzalez was announced onstage by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during the NFL Draft in Las Vegas on Thursday night, along with news of the first game that will stream on Prime. The Chiefs will host the San Diego Chargers on Sept. 15 in an AFC West matchup.

The complete “Thursday Night Football” schedule will be announced May 12.

Prime Video will be the first streaming service to air a season-long exclusive national broadcast package with the NFL. Amazon’s 11-year deal includes 15 regular-season games and one preseason game per year.

The games will also stream live on Twitch and will be available on over-the-air TV stations in the two home markets of the competing teams

See also  Amazon names Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit as the voices of ‘Thursday Night Football’ on Prime

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