Exclusive | Why Al Michaels thinks the NFL gave Amazon a much better ‘TNF’ slate

The veteran broadcaster believes the NFL was more advantageous to Amazon than Fox in terms of scheduling.

Al Michaels has watched the NFL's regular season schedule closely since the league expanded to a 17-game format in 2021, and he believes the NFL gave Amazon a much better "TNF" slate this year than Fox received in its first year of the exclusive package in 2022. Michaels joined "The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast" this week and spoke about the upcoming season as the veteran broadcaster prepares to call his first "TNF" game on Prime Video in Week 2. The legendary announcer thinks that Amazon has many favorable matchups for its first season as the exclusive home. "They got a pretty good schedule this year," Michaels said on the podcast. "I mean, I saw somebody compare it to Fox's schedule last year. And Fox got, I think, five of the top 10 teams, and Amazon got 11 of the top 15. How about that? So, that's a pretty good start." The NFL released its full 2023 regular season schedule on Thursday night, giving fans a full look at which teams each network will air. Amazon will get to air some of the marquee matchups of the 2023 season, including a Week 2 matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens, a Week 4 matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs, and a Week 15 matchup between the New York Jets andJacksonville Jaguars. Michaels pointed out that in addition to getting more of the top teams in the NFL, Amazon also has the benefit of airing all of the Thursday night games in one convenient location. "You know, I think Thursday night football is gonna do very well for Amazon. I mean, they got a lot of the top matchups and it's all gonna be in one place. You can just go to Amazon Prime and watch all the Thursday Night Football games with all the pregame, halftime, postgame coverage that goes with it. I think it's a pretty good deal for the NFL and for Amazon and for the fans." Michaels also thinks that the NFL is happy to have Amazon as a partner because it gives the league another way to reach its fans. "I think the league likes the idea of having another option for fans to watch their games," Michaels said. "Amazon is a big player in the streaming world, and I think the NFL sees them as a way to reach a new audience. And I think Amazon sees the NFL as a way to attract new customers. So, I think it's a good partnership for both sides."