While President Obama’s address to Congress airs on NBC before Thursday night’s Saints-Packers opener, five channels will air the pregame show.
VERSUS, USA, Syfy, G4 and NFL Network will all begin coverage of the 90-minute NFL Kickoff 2011 Presented by EA Sports at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday. NBC will show Obama’s speech at 7 and then join NFL Kickoff 2011 in progress when the speech is over. The game starts at 8:30, and the White House says Obama’s speech will end well before kickoff.
The 90-minute pregame show will feature musical performances as well as analysis from the usual cast of characters from Football Night in America and Sunday Night Football, including Bob Costas, Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Dan Patrick, Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, Peter King and PFT’s own Mike Florio.
On VERSUS, NBC SportsTalk will air at 6 p.m. ET and serve as the lead-in to the pregame coverage.