Longtime Sportscaster Rich Eisen Returning to ESPN

The Rich Eisen Show

Rich Eisen will be returning to ESPN as part of the network’s direct-to-consumer offering, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported Monday.

Eisen left ESPN in 2003 to join NFL Network, where he has remained ever since. In 2015, Eisen launched The Rich Eisen Show. The show moved between several networks and most recently aired on The Roku Channel.

Nearly two years ago, it was reported that ESPN had plans to create a standalone, direct-to-consumer streaming service. This app — codenamed “Flagship” at the time — would differ from ESPN+ and provide customers with full access to the ESPN channel without a cable subscription. Eisen will reportedly bring his show to ESPN in the fall, coinciding with the launch of the new service.

The report continued:

Eisen will take “The Rich Eisen Show” from Roku to ESPN in the fall. There is a strong possibility that the program, which runs from noon to 3 p.m. ET, could also land on ESPN Radio, where it would be viewed as an anchor for the network, but those details are not yet ironed out. Similarly to “The Pat McAfee Show,” Eisen’s program will be licensed by ESPN, meaning he is expected to maintain ownership and editorial control. The terms of the deal are not yet known.

Eisen, 55, left ESPN for NFL Network in 2003 to become the face of the league-owned entity. He will remain the featured host on NFL Network’s “GameDay” and its draft coverage. He also calls select regular-season games for the network.

Due to the nature of McAfee’s deal, he is not entirely beholden to ESPN and retains complete creative control. He famously used that power to wage war with a former ESPN executive who he accused of trying to sabotage his show on air.