Remember in December, when NBC Sports brought political correspondent Steve Kornacki to Football Night in America to break down playoff odds? They followed that up with using Kornacki on their coverage of the Kentucky Derby, and his role on the network’s sports programming is not going away any time soon.
According to the LA Times, Kornacki has a new contract with NBC, and that new contract calls for an expanded role for Kornacki with NBC Sports, including a regular spot on Football Night in America and roles covering the Olympics and horse racing for NBC. Additionally, he’ll be making appearances on the NBC RSNs
In his new deal, Kornacki will be a regular analyst on NBC’s “Football Night in America” and the halftime report on “Sunday Night Football.” He will also be a part of the network’s Super Bowl telecast in 2022.
Kornacki will have a role in NBC’s coverage of the Olympic Games and Triple Crown horse racing — a sport he’s loved since childhood when he went to watch harness races with his uncle at Scarborough Downs in Maine. He will also break down statistics on NBCU’s regional sports channels, which carry National Hockey League, Major League Baseball and National Basketball Assn. games in several major markets.
Kornacki will also host a game show on Peacock.
To me, this feels like taking a somewhat successful segment and cranking it up to 11. I personally don’t have much of a desire to see Kornacki on NFL coverage early in the season, let alone each week (though to be fair, the LA Times report doesn’t say he’ll appear every week – just that he’ll be a “regular analyst”). Good for Kornacki to cash in and branch out, but were viewers really demanding Kornacki on every NBC Sports platform?
[LA Times]
