Matthew Berry’s move to NBC is now adding even more of a linear TV component. Berry, who joined NBCUniversal in August on a multi-year deal, is featured each week on NBC’s Football Night In America evening pregame show ahead of Sunday Night Football. But he also hosts shows focused on fantasy and betting on NBCU streaming service Peacock, including a daily show and a two-hour Sunday morning pregame show ahead of the Sunday NFL games on CBS and Fox. And an hour of that Sunday morning show (Fantasy Football Pregame With Matthew Berry, hosted by Berry and Michael Smith, with Jay Croucher also joining them) will now air on NBC owned-and-operated linear affiliates in 11 markets, as Berry tweeted about Friday:
HOLY S*%#!
Noon-1pm ET on Sundays. A full hour of pure fantasy and betting on network TV. Thank you @NBCSports for your incredible continued support. LFG!!! @nbc @SNFonNBC @NBCSEdgeFB @michaelsmith #FFPregame https://t.co/utAbh2SoVr
— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) September 16, 2022
And of course the entire Sunday morning show (11am-1pm ET) is always available @peacockTV #FFPregame pic.twitter.com/ooqVGsAWD2
— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) September 16, 2022
Here’s more on what this move means for Berry‘s show from that linked article, from Mikey O’Connell of The Hollywood Reporter:
In a move opposite to what TV is used to seeing, a streaming series is making the move to broadcast. Fantasy Football Pregame With Matthew Berry has been picked up by 11 NBC-owned stations across the U.S., and will begin airing in major markets this Sunday after debuting on Peacock just a few days ago.
The series, hosted by Berry and Michael Smith, will of course continue to air on the streamer. But, as schedules permit, it will also air at noon ET in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas and six other metropolitan areas.
The launch of Fantasy Football Pregame comes as NBCUniversal doubles down on Peacock, moving over all next-day streaming of NBC series over to the streamer starting Sept. 19 as other NBCU-owned properties make the migration over from Hulu.
The 11 current NBC owned-and-operated affiliates in the continental U.S. (they also own one in San Juan, Puerto Rico) can be found here. In addition to the ones listed by O’Connell, they include KNTV (San Jose/San Francisco/Oakland), KNSD (San Diego), WVIT (New Britain/Hartford/New Haven), WRC-TV (Washington, D.C.), and WTVJ (Miami/Fort Lauderdale). Those are some pretty big markets, and it’s notable that Berry’s show is gaining a broadcast TV presence there. (As NBC’s release notes, though, not all of those affiliates may air the show each week, as this is only “when schedules permit.”) But this also gives those affiliates a morning NFL pregame show, and one with a different fantasy and betting-specific focus than the competition on CBS, Fox, ESPN, NFL Network and more.
[The Hollywood Reporter; photo from NBC Sports Group Pressbox]
