That groaning sound you might have heard in the background were Bears & Packers' fans finding out Sunday night that their NFC Wildcard game will air Saturday night. Why were fans groaning, you ask? Because the game will be airing on a channel most of us don't have on cable or satellite.
I'm referring to Amazon Prime Video, which is actually a streaming channel much like Roku, Hulu and Peacock to name a few. Amazon raised many eyebrows in the sports media business when they acquired the rights to the NFL's "Thursday Night Football" package in 2021.
The game, which is actually an NBC Sports production, will be called by legendary play-by-play voice Al Michaels. Kirk Herbstreit, also ESPN/ABC's lead college football analyst, and sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung will round out the Prime crew for Saturday's broadcast.
ESPN 1000's local broadcast, of course, will be called by Jeff Joniak, Tom Thayer & former Bears' fullback Jason McKie. The ESPN Radio outlet will also have complete coverage before & after this matchup.
Because NFL broadcast rules state the games must be available over the air in the participating markets, this Packers/Bears' game will air on FOX 32 locally. The FOX-owned station, which bills itself as "The Home of the Bears", will actually start its coverage at 12:30P (CT) Saturday afternoon ahead of FOX's own coverage of the Rams/Panthers' NFC Wildcard game they'll have in Charlotte leading up to it. FOX 32 will also have live, local postgame as soon as the game ends on Prime Saturday night. FOX 6 in Milwaukee & NBC 26 in Green Bay will do the same for Packers' fans there.
As for why Amazon Prime got the Packers/Bears' NFC Wildcard game instead of more traditional NFL partners such as FOX, CBS, NBC & ESPN/ABC, this Jeff Agrest story linked here might explain the how & why:
I don’t see how that can grab a younger market, but what do I know?
Hamp and O B on WGN are pretty entertaining. Not sure when their pre game show will be Saturday, but they do not hold back on their criticism. O’B has a lot of vigor for an octogenarian.
Pregame? I think you mean Post game for Dan Hampton & Ed O'Bradovich on 720 AM WGN Radio late Saturday night when Packers/Bears' NFC Wildcard ends.
How's this for a Saturday night of Chicago sports? The Bears, Bulls & Blackhawks WILL all play at the same time Saturday night, 7P (CT) to be exact.
The Bulls, inconsistent as always, hosts last year's #1 NBA Draft pick Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks at United Center. The Blackhawks, currently without injured Connor Bedard & Frank Nazar, are in Nashville to take on the Predators.
As for Packers/Bears NFC Wildcard, I thought that NBC would get this game instead of Chargers/Patriots AFC Wildcard as its "Sunday Night Football" postseason matchup. I actually thought Rams/Panthers NFC Wildcard, which will start the NFL Playoffs Saturday, or Bills/Jaguars AFC Wildcard would get the Amazon Prime time slot instead.
I think at the end of the day, the NFL knows that streaming outlets such as Amazon Prime are the future of sports television. The day might also be coming when the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Final, World Series, the Daytona 500, the Indianapolis 500 and even the Kentucky Derby could all end up on streaming outlets rather than over the air.
I just checked 720 AM’s Website and you are correct about Dan Hampton & Ed O’Bradovich hosting what I think would technically be called “The Chicago Football Pregame” ahead of Packers/Bears NFC Wildcard Saturday night.
I think for legal reasons, even though we know they’re talking about the Bears, that’s one thing I have noticed in recent years. The Bears seem to be protective of their brand & their logo. I think radio & TV stations can’t use the Bears in their title or logo if they’re not a team partner.
Something else I have noticed. When I put on CHSN for either “The BIG Pro Football Show” or “The Chicago Lead”, I have noticed the Orange Bear head and the Orange “C” are conspicuously absent from the chyron when the 2 shows discuss the team. They don’t even use the orange “B” either.
Tune into CHSN today-Friday before a Bulls & Blackhawks’ pregame and you’ll know what I mean.
I apologize for this appearing multiple times for starters.
I do have a couple more links that I would like to share with you relating to Saturday's Packers/Bears' NFC Wildcard Game and why Amazon Prime Video got this game instead of the more traditional NFL broadcast partners.
First, former 670 AM The SCORE producer/part time host turned Barrett Media writer John "Rock" Mamola wrote the following column. He says that the networks better pay attention when the NFL's next TV deal is up. Streaming rights will play a major role and that games like Saturday's Packers/Bears' NFC Wildcard game airing on Prime could be just the beginning:
Second, Al Michaels has been broadcasting sports for as long as I've been alive, without revealing my own age. The 81 year old play-by-play man isn't about to call it a career, even though there has been criticism this season about what seemed like a waning interest in calling "Thursday Night Football". Michaels' comments can be found in this link:
on January 6, 2026, 3:09 pm