Jon Champion, the legendary commentator, will be joining NBC Sports for the upcoming 2023/24 Premier League season. This exciting news has been confirmed by sources to World Soccer Talk.
Starting in August, Champion will be commentating on the highest profile Premier League match every week in the Sunday 11:30 am to 1:30 pm ET timeslot.
Champion's arrival at NBC Sports comes at a time of change for the American broadcast company. Martin Tyler, who previously held a prominent position at Sky Sports in England, has stepped down from his role and has been replaced by Peter Drury at Sky.
In addition to taking up this new position with Sky Sports where he is expected to commentate on one game per week, Drury will also continue working as lead commentator alongside Lee Dixon and Graeme Le Saux for NBC Sports.
Given that both Drury and Champion are now calling games during the same timeslot but for different networks owned by Comcast (Sky Sports and NBC), there is a strong possibility that they will cross paths frequently throughout the season.
While it is fantastic news for soccer fans that Champion will be calling Premier League games for NBC Sports, it does mean an end to his time with Major League Soccer (MLS) and living in the United States—for now.
From 2019 until last year, he covered MLS games for ESPN. However, due to ESPN losing its MLS rights which have moved over to Apple TV+, Champion won't be calling any more top-flight US league matches anymore.
Despite this change of direction professionally speaking though he's still going strong being part of ESPN where he'll provide commentary for FA Cup matches alongside other standout fixtures such as cup competitions like English League Cup or major friendlies when possible.
NBC is now home to two of the most prominent voices in football
The partnership between Drury and Champion means that NBC Sports can boast of having two best English-language commentators working together on their network which must certainly excite TV viewers in the US.
Both Drury and Champion are well-respected commentators who have decades of experience covering soccer at the highest level.
They each bring their unique style to their commentary. Drury is known for his spontaneous and effervescent delivery, while Champion's witty remarks and carefully chosen words pack a powerful punch.
As we look ahead to the 2023/24 Premier League season which kicks off on Friday, August 11th, it is expected that Champion will call the Chelsea vs Liverpool game on USA Network for opening weekend.
Soccer fans can look forward to enjoying his insightful commentary throughout what promises to be an exciting season of Premier League action.
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