ESPN will televise Super Bowl LXI next February. And in true ESPN fashion, you’re going to hear it a lot from ESPN that ESPN is televising their first Super Bowl on ESPN.
Now, if you want to get technical, the ESPN broadcast is actually going to be a simulcast on ABC, which has televised many Super Bowls before. The cable sports giant has been under the ABC, and later Disney umbrella since 1984. In that timeframe, ABC aired seven Super Bowls, with their last one coming in February 2006. Chris Berman hosted pregame coverage for the last three of those broadcasts, which is about as ESPN as you could get without airing on the actual cable network.
But in spite of the technicalities, Bristol is celebrating the simulcast as a landmark day in the almost 50 year history of the WorldWide Leader in Sports. And they are launching a year-long campaign to make sure you don’t forget about it.
With the NFL Draft upon us, that campaign includes a new ad that is reminiscent of the classic This is SportsCenter commercials.
It features Roger Goodell stepping up to a podium in a conference room with several luminaries from the network in attendance. He gets booed by Mike Greenberg (which is hilarious because he’s probably the last guy in that room who would do so) and then announces ESPN’s Super Bowl broadcast as it were a draft pick. He then hugs the brand new ESPN mascot App-E (that deserves a deep dive on its own), before congratulating Joe Buck on calling his first Super Bowl.
You know what that sound means 🎶
ESPN is On The Clock for Super Bowl LXI 🏈 pic.twitter.com/dqwfzeH5VZ
— ESPN (@espn) April 23, 2026
It’s funny, it’s self-deprecating, it’s a classic vibe. What more could you want from an ESPN commercial? It’s very well done. Sports fans are always reminiscent for the glory days of ESPN and SportsCenter and this represents a new twist on a vintage and successful idea. And as a bonus, it also works for the NFL’s purchase of a 10% equity stake in the WorldWide Leader. Hopefully the other networks don’t get too jealous of that App-E hug when the new rights deals negotiations really heat up.
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