This weekend, NFL and Madden are combining real sports with virtual gaming in a first-of-its-kind immersive experience.
Peacock, EA Sports and Genius Sports will host the Madden NFL Cast during the Houston Texans-Kansas City Chiefs game on Saturday, December 21 at 12pm ET, blending traditional live football coverage and video game elements.
Announced during half-time of Thursday’s Miami Dolphins-Green Bay Packers game, the third in NFL’s ‘John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration’, the data-powered live football experience will use Genius Sports’ next-gen data and AI platform GeniusIQ to combine real-time data insights with fully branded animations, delivering an immersive viewing experience.
Streaming exclusively on Peacock, the Madden NFL Cast will feature a dedicated commentary team with NBC Sports’ Paul Burmeister handling play-by-play; former NFL quarterback, YouTuber and Madden NFL expert Kurt Benkert utilizing graphic overlays to discuss and predict play options; and six-time Cincinnati Bengals Pro Bowl wide receiver Chad Ochocinco serving as a real-time player “ratings adjuster.” Also joining the production will be pro Madden NFL player Henry Leverette, who won the Ultimate Madden Bowl championship ring in February, and is the first player in Madden NFL Championship Series history to reach $1 million in career earnings.
“We are excited to work with the NFL, EA SPORTS, and Genius Sports to offer fans the ability to watch Madden NFL come to life like never before exclusively on Peacock, which has established itself as a home for premium live sports and innovative viewing experiences,” said NBC Sports’ executive producer of NFL Fred Gaudelli. “This first-ever Madden NFL Cast marks a new milestone as Peacock’s first sports alt-cast. Not only are the Texans and Chiefs in first place in their respective divisions, but they have star players at multiple positions whose avatars will help us analyze the game’s biggest plays through the Madden NFL 25 lens. It has long been a point of pride for John and the Madden family that their video game has helped generations of fans and gamers learn and enjoy football, and we are thrilled to continue that tradition.”
