By Mallory Mattingly
Rich Eisen, a former ESPN host (1996-2003), will return to the place where he got his start.
According to NBC Sports, THE RICH EISEN SHOW, which normally airs on Roku, will air on ESPN this fall.
“More than two decades after leaving ESPN, Rich Eisen is returning to be a part of the network, The Athletic has learned. Full details on what it means for ESPN DTC, where it can potentially lead for ESPN Radio and NFL Network,” reporter Andrew Marchand wrote on X.
NEWS: More than two decades after leaving ESPN, Rich Eisen is returning to be a part of the network, The Athletic has learned.
Full details on what it means for ESPN DTC, where it can potentially lead for ESPN Radio and NFL Network. ⬇️ ⬇️
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) May 12, 2025
THE RICH EISEN SHOW airs from noon to 3 p.m. ET but could also land on ESPN Radio, which means it would be “viewed as an anchor for the network,” per The Athletic.
The show will only be licensed by ESPN, meaning that Eisen still has creative and editorial control. This is similar to the move Pat McAfee made.
In 2003, Eisen decided to part ways with ESPN to pursue a career with the NFL Network. Now, because ESPN is working on striking a deal with the NFL Network, Eisen will “remain the featured host on NFL Network’s GAMEDAY and its draft coverage.”
Eisen is known for his creative and impressive sportscasting, as well as his knowledge of football.
ESPN is getting ready to launch its streaming service. Previously called “Flagship,” the DTC service will be named ESPN.
The familiar name was chosen “to simplify what has become a cluttered streaming world, filled with different media products that can be bundled with other services at different price points,” said chairman Jimmy Pitaro.
ESPN’s linear subscribers will automatically get the streaming service, per Disney CEO Bob Iger’s comments last week.
“The plan would be to basically be somewhat agnostic from a subscriber perspective, so that we can still do our best to preserve the multi channel ecosystem, but at the same time, we obviously want to grow our DTC business,” he added.
The linear ESPN experience will differ from the streaming, Iger noted.
The traditional cable outlet “will not have the bells and whistles and those additional features that the DTC service will have,” he said. Other Disney execs have said that the streamer will lean more into “wagering and fantasy sports.”
“Again, that service will have many more features than the linear service will have,” Iger said.
As Eisen prepares to return to ESPN, its clear that the media landscape has changed since his time on the network.
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