ESPN’s live coverage of Super Bowl LIII – the New England Patriots v the Los Angeles Rams – kicks off Monday February 4th from 9.30am (AEDT).
For the first time, ESPN ANZ is producing an exclusive live broadcast of the game for Australia & New Zealand viewers, called by ESPN Monday Night Football’s team of Joe Tessitore, two-time Super Bowl winner Booger McFarland (Tampa Bay Buccaneers & Indianapolis Colts) and 11-time Pro Bowler and Dallas Cowboys legend Jason Witten.
ESPN will produce more than 40 hours of live programming from Atlanta including an Australia/New Zealand 30-minute pre-game show starting at 9.30am. Hosted by Joe Tessitore, the show includes the countdown to kickoff, the most up to date game analysis, pre-game entertainment and the national anthem.
Leading brands including Mercedes-Benz, Subway, NIB, Holden, BFGoodrich and Marvel Studios’ Captain Marvel have been confirmed as premier partners for the broadcast.
Nik Weber, head of Disney ESPN Media sales & partnerships said: “We are thrilled to have these brands on board and look forward to connecting them with our Super Bowl audience using a collection of premium integrations and sponsorships. These never before achievable opportunities are a direct result of ESPN’s Monday Night Football team producing and calling the game specifically for the Australia and New Zealand audience. It’s a really exciting proposition for both our advertising partners and our fans.”
ESPN TV Shows Originating from Atlanta (all times AEDT):
• SportsCenter On the Road Sage Steele will host noon segments and the full 6 p.m. ET SportsCenter Wednesday through Friday, Steve Levy will host late night segments Wednesday through Sunday, and Michael Eaves will join Levy for postgame coverage live from the field following Super Bowl LIII. NFL analysts Tedy Bruschi, Ryan Clark, Matt Hasselbeck, Booger McFarland, Jeff Saturday, Charles Woodson and Darren Woodson and insiders Louis Riddick, Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter will contribute to SportsCenter throughout the week.
• First Take (ESPN 2 Thursday – Saturday at 2am replays at 9am): ESPN’s popular morning debate show featuring Stephen A. Smith, Max Kellerman and host Molly Qerim Rose will be live from the Atlanta Convention Center at AmericasMart. The show, which is free and open to the public, will welcome a full lineup of sports and entertainment guests.
• NFL Live (Thursday – Saturday at 5.30am ): Hosts Wendi Nix (Wed, Thu) and Suzy Kolber (Fri) will be joined by Super Bowl champions Tedy Bruschi, Ryan Clark, Booger McFarland and Darren Woodson and NFL Insiders Louis Riddick, Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter.
• NFL Matchup (Monday 1.30am and 4am on ESPN 2): Trey Wingo will break down Patriots-Rams with NFL writer and analyst Matt Bowen and NFL Films’ Greg Cosell.
• Postseason NFL Countdown (Monday at 2am): Suzy Kolber, former Super Bowl MVP Steve Young and insiders Louis Riddick, Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter will kick off ESPN’s four-hour Super Bowl pre-game show from Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Countdown will also feature host Sam Ponder, Super Bowl XL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, Hall of Famer Randy Moss and Super Bowl champions Rex Ryan and Charles Woodson, all based at ESPN’s main set in Centennial Olympic Park.
• Super Bowl Pre-Game Show (Monday 9.30am): Joe Tessitore hosts ESPN’s pre-game coverage, joined by a range of guests.
• Super Bowl LIVE Broadcast (Monday 10am): the exclusive live broadcast of the game for Australia & New Zealand viewers, called by Joe Tessitore, Booger McFarland and Jason Witten.
• NFL PrimeTime (Monday at 2.30pm): Chris Berman, Randy Moss and Steve Young will deliver highlights and conduct interviews from the field following the game.
• Throughout the week, Sal Paolantonio (covering the Patriots) and Josina Anderson (Rams) will report on the Super Bowl teams, and Dianna Russini (ESPN Social) and Dan Graziano (ESPN.com) will provide additional updates from Atlanta.
ESPN Digital
ESPN’s digital coverage of Super Bowl LIII will feature analysis, commentary, breaking news, video and more across ESPN.com and the ESPN App leading up to, during and after the game. ESPN.com’s roster of on-site journalists includes NFL senior writers Dan Graziano, Mike Sando, Mina Kimes, Ian O’Connor, Kevin Van Valkenburg and Seth Wickersham, NFL Nation reporters Mike Reiss (covering the Patriots), Lindsey Thiry (Rams), and Kevin Seifert (with the biggest, best, and controversial calls, and a full review), analyst Bill Barnwell (with a postgame breakdown of how the game was won), and more.