Al Michaels took over as the full-time play-by-play commentator for ‘Thursday Night Football’ in 2022, when Amazon acquired exclusive broadcasting rights. But what is Michaels’ salary for his current gig?
Michaels moved to the Amazon Prime Video broadcast of ‘Thursday Night Football’ after 16 years of play-by-play work on NBC’s ‘Sunday Night Football.’ He became the full-time commentator on Amazon starting in 2022 and has broadcasted all of the ‘TNF’ games alongside color commentator Kirk Herbstreit in the two and a half years since.
The sports broadcasting icon, who will turn 80 in November, has received some criticism from fans and viewers for his lack of enthusiasm on the weekly football telecast. Michaels has pointed to the relatively lackluster quality of competition on Thursdays as a big reason for his subdued commentary.
Initial reports of Michaels’ Amazon deal stated that the agreement was for three years, making 2024 his potential final year in the ‘TNF’ booth. The 79-year-old did not commit to continuing his broadcasting career following the 2024 season when asked about his future last December.
There are varying reports on the exact figure for Michaels’ Amazon contract, but here’s what we know:
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Al Michaels salary: How much does broadcaster make?
The New York Post’s Andrew Marchand initially reported that Michaels’ contract would be for three years and ‘north of $30 million,’ but that number may have gone up.
About one week after that first report, in March 2022, Marchand shared that the Amazon deal would be ‘in the Joe Buck neighborhood.’ Buck signed a five-year, $75 million deal ($15 million annually) with ESPN earlier that same month.
If Michaels’ deal is truly in the same neighborhood as his ‘Monday Night Football’ counterpart, his contract with Amazon is likely worth between $45 and $48 million in total over three years ($15-16 million annually).
Al Michaels age
Michaels is currently 79 years old. He will turn 80 on Nov. 12.