The Big Lead

Al Michaels reportedly expected to return to 'Thursday Night Football'

By Joe Lago

Dec 21, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Thursday Night Football Amazon Prime play-by-play announcer Al Michaels during the game between the Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Dec 21, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Thursday Night Football Amazon Prime play-by-play announcer Al Michaels during the game between the Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Al Michaels is not ready to retire from his legendary broadcasting career.

The Athletic's Andrew Marchand reported Wednesday that Michaels is expected to return to Amazon Prime next year after his contract expires at the end of the NFL season.

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The 80-year-old Michaels, the voice of "Thursday Night Football," will continue to call Amazon Prime's NFL games on a year-to-year basis. His current three-year contract "pays him in the neighborhood of Joe Buck’s $15 million per season," according to Marchand.

Amazon Prime is enjoying a record-setting season. Last Thursday's NFC North showdown between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions made NFL history as the most-streamed regular-season game with an average audience of 17.29 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

The Lions' dramatic 34-31 victory capped by Jake Bates' 35-yard field goal as time expired smashed Amazon Prime's previous "Thursday Night Football" record by over 1 million viewers. The game also set a new mark with a peak audience of 18.87 million viewers.

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