Rich Eisen, host of NFL Total Access and the Emmy-nominated NFL GameDay Morning pregame show, takes NFL.com's first podcast to the small screen with the television debut of The Rich Eisen Podcast on Thursday nights at 8 p.m. ET only on NFL Network. Beginning June 16, the weekly edition of the podcast -- which remains available for download on NFL.com and iTunes -- will air on NFL Network, featuring a mix of NFL personalities and stars from the world of entertainment.
"Putting the podcast on television is a natural extension of the show, and will either bring the program to a wider audience to enjoy or offer me a larger platform on which to flame out spectacularly," said Eisen.
On the television premiere of The Rich Eisen Podcast, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver and latest winner of Dancing with the Stars, Hines Ward, joins the program in-studio. Ward becomes the eighth Super Bowl MVP to appear on The Rich Eisen Podcast joining Tom Brady, Kurt Warner, Ray Lewis, Troy Aikman, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Phil Simms. Rounding out the guest list on Thursday's debut program is NBC's Sunday Night Football game analyst Cris Collinsworth and Kyle Chandler, the star of this past weekend's top-grossing movie, Super 8 and the critically acclaimed television show Friday Night Lights. The podcast will be available for download on NFL.com and iTunes on the Thursday immediately following the network debut.
Additionally on Thursday, July 7, Eisen hosts a special Curb Your Enthusiasm edition of the podcast airing at 10 p.m. ET, after the season finale of Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the New York Jets on NFL Network. With the eighth season of Curb Your Enthusiasm premiering Sunday, July 10 at 10 p.m. ET on HBO, Eisen sits down for an exclusive one-on-one chat with the show's creator, executive producer and star Larry David. Then Eisen does his best to control a roundtable discussion with David, executive producer and actor Jeff Garlin, and actors Bob Einstein (Marty Funkhouser) and J.B. Smoove (Leon Black), recounting the best moments from the previous 11 years of the Emmy Award-winning comedy, as well as offering a preview of what's to come.
"The 'Curb' podcast is a perfect example of what this show is and can be," Eisen said. "It provides a forum for guests that might not ordinarily be associated with NFL Network while creating a whole new type of programming for NFL Network. I couldn't be more excited about planting this flag."
In less than one year since its launch, The Rich Eisen Podcast has developed a significant following, amassing more than one million downloads. On the program, Eisen not only discusses the pertinent topics in the NFL, but he also expands his reach into television and movies with interviews involving pop culture celebrities such as Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Larry King, Snoop Dogg, Jon Hamm and Paul Rudd. In other words, no other show on the Internet -- and now, television -- blends the sports and entertainment worlds quite like The Rich Eisen Podcast.
Other prominent guests to appear on The Rich Eisen Podcast include:
» Longtime play-by-play announcers Marv Albert, Al Michaels, Joe Buck and Mike Tirico
» NBC Football Night in America studio host and former ESPN colleague Dan Patrick
» Best-selling author and ESPN columnist Bill Simmons
» NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley
» Tennis legend John McEnroe
» Grammy Award-winning musicians John Legend and The Black Eyed Peas
» Academy Award-winning film director Steven Soderbergh
NFL Network airs seven days a week, 24 hours a day on a year-round basis and is the only television network fully dedicated to the NFL and the sport of football. For more information, log on to www.nfl.com/nflnetwork. NFL.com is the exclusive internet home of NFL Network and the home of The Rich Eisen Podcast.