California Dreamin’: Multi-Platform Coverage Surrounds Rams-Bengals as Disneyland Resort Plays Host to ESPN’s Expansive Super Bowl LVI Week Studio Programming

- Super Bowl Sunday: Four-Hour Postseason NFL Countdown with Dual Sets in Disneyland Resort and SoFi Stadium, Postgame Shows from SoFi Stadium, Surrounding Editorial Content, and More
- NFL Live along with SportsCenter, First Takeand This Just In Segments Set for Disneyland Resort
- Super Bowl Opening Night and NFL Honors Highlight Primetime Programming
- ESPN+, ESPN.com, The Undefeated, ESPN Audio, ESPN Deportes, ESPN International and More Cover Rams-Bengals from Every Angle
ESPN’s comprehensive coverage of Super Bowl LVI will be wide-ranging, with cross-platform content leading into, surrounding and following the crescendo of the 2021-22 NFL Season when the Los Angeles Rams play the Cincinnati Bengals from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles (Sunday, Feb. 13).
Disneyland Resort in California will host ESPN’s on-site studio programming during Super Bowl Week, with ESPN’s Super Bowl Sunday coverage originating from both Disneyland Resort and SoFi Stadium. Postseason NFL Countdown (10 a.m. – 2 p.m. ET) on the final day of the NFL season will have sets at both locations, ESPN’s international game presentation to Australia and New Zealand will commence from the stadium (6:30 p.m.) and NFL PrimeTime (approx. 10:30 p.m.) will follow the game from the field level of SoFi Stadium, celebrating the winners of the 56th Super Bowl.
Super Bowl Sunday puts an exclamation point on ESPN’s Super Bowl Week, which includes Super Bowl Opening Night (Monday, Feb. 7), five consecutive days of productions from Disneyland Resort (Feb. 9-13), NFL Honors on ABC and ESPN+ (Feb. 10), celebrity guests, news and information 24 hours a day, and so much more.
Sunday Bowl Sunday – Pregame, Postgame and Game Coverage
Postseason NFL Countdown on Super Bowl Sunday will feature Suzy Kolber hosting from SoFi Stadium and Sam Ponder from Disneyland, as the show’s four-hour program features a dual-location setup. Hall of Famer and MVP of Super Bowl XXIX Steve Young, two-time Super Bowl champion Booger McFarland, and Pro Bowl quarterback Alex Smith will join Kolber at the stadium. Three-time Super Bowl champion Tedy Bruschi, Super Bowl XL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, Hall of Famer Randy Moss and Super Bowl champion Rex Ryan will offer analysis alongside Ponder from Disneyland. Senior NFL Insiders Chris Mortensenand Adam Schefter will also be at Disneyland.
NFL reporters Sal Paolantonio (covering the Bengals) and Dianna Russini (Rams) – who will provide updates on the Super Bowl teams throughout the week across ESPN programming – will join Countdown.
Covering his 40th Super Bowl, Chris Berman will host NFL PrimeTime from SoFi Stadium with Young and McFarland following the game. SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt (approx. 11 p.m.) will provide additional post-game coverage with Tim Hasselbeck and Ryan Clark sharing their insights and analysis. MNF analyst Louis Riddick, and others, are also expected to join the show offering their reactions from the stadium.
ESPN International will present Super Bowl LVI, as ESPN’s Monday Night Football commentator team of Steve Levy, Brian Griese and Riddick will call the game for Australia and New Zealand from inside SoFi Stadium.
Throughout Super Bowl Sunday, ESPN.com NFL reporters Ben Baby, Brady Henderson, Nick Wagoner, Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano provide coverage. Award-winning sports journalists Jason Reid and Bill Rhoden from The Undefeated will be in Los Angeles with postgame opinion pieces on the winner and the loser.
ESPN’s Super Bowl Sunday Programming
Time (ET) | Show | Network |
8 a.m. – 10 a.m. | SportsCenter | ESPN |
8:30 a.m. | NFL Matchup | ESPN2 |
10 a.m. – 2 p.m. | Postseason NFL Countdown | ESPN |
Approx. 10:30 p.m. | NFL PrimeTime | ESPN |
Approx. 11:30 p.m. | SportsCenter with SVP | ESPN |
ESPN’s Super Bowl LVI Week Studio Programming Stationed at Disneyland Resort in California
ESPN’s Super Bowl LVI coverage from Disneyland begins Wednesday, Feb. 9, with the network’s multi-platform productions originating from Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim, Calif. The entire NFL Live (4-5 p.m.) ,crew will be on location, while multiple editions of SportsCenter (noon, 6 p.m. and 11 p.m.) will have a presence from Disneyland Resort. Additionally, ESPN personalities will join First Take (10 a.m.), This Just In (2 p.m.) and more ESPN shows from Disneyland to round out the weekday programming.
SportsCenter’s presence will continue Saturday, along with the taping of NFL Matchup, with the X’s and O’s show set to air on Super Bowl Sunday (8:30 a.m. on ESPN2 and ESPN+).
Many of ESPN’s most-recognizable on-air commentators will be at Disneyland Resort, including Clark, McFarland, Pro Bowl QBs Brian Griese, Robert Griffin III, and Smith, groundbreaking NFL analyst Mina Kimes, Monday Night Football analyst Riddick, first round pick Marcus Spears, 10-year NFL veteran Dan Orlovsky, analyst Matt Bowen, long-time reporter Paolantonio, versatile host Laura Rutledge, and the voice of Monday Night Football Steve Levy in addition to the previously mentioned Postseason NFL Countdown team.
Downtown Disney will be the home for a fan experience located outdoors, between Tortilla Jo’s and Splitsville Luxury Lanes, Thursday, Feb. 10-Sunday Feb. 13 from 1-7 p.m. PT daily, with games, giveaways (while supplies last), and more for guests of all ages. As part of that experience, ESPN will give away a limited number of ‘Postseasoning,’ a spice blend by ESPN to help fans kick their cooking up a notch during the postseason. Experiences will be available to guests on a first-come, first-served basis. More on Disney’s plans can be found here.
NFL Honors on ABC and ESPN+ for First Time; Super Bowl Opening Night Jump Starts the Week
NFL Honors will air live on ABC, ESPN+ and NFL Network on Thursday, Feb. 10 (9 p.m.), at the YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park. The primetime awards special that recognizes the NFL’s best players, performances and plays from the 2021 season is hosted by Keegan-Michael Key.
Super Bowl Opening Night on ESPN2 will help kick off the week on Monday (8 p.m.), featuring interviews with both head coaches, media availability and fan rallies in Los Angeles and Cincinnati. Rutledge and Jeff Saturday will anchor from Bristol.
Additional Super Bowl Week Highlights
- Television and On-Demand Programming:
- Get Up: Each weekday (8 a.m.) with the latest Super Bowl news and analysis; guests are expected.
- First Take Guests: Joining Stephen A. Smith, Molly Qerim and others (10 a.m.) Eric Dickerson, Mecole Hardman, Justin Jefferson, Micah Parsons, Adrian Peterson and Kurt Warner are among guests expected to appear throughout the week.
- ESPN+ Shows: Detail with Peyton Manning analyzes Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford, while NFL Turning Point breaks down the pivotal moments that defined the outcome of each game in a weekly program, complete with sound from the sidelines and on-field access. NFL Matchup also among the shows available.
- SEC Network: Each weekday leading into Super Bowl weekend, re-live throwback LSU and Georgia games and original programming from 12-3 p.m., as the network highlights some of the biggest games of Burrow’s and Stafford’s collegiate careers.z
- ACC Network: With seven ACC schools set to participate in the Super Bowl, Packer & Durham (7 a.m. – 10 a.m.) and All ACC (10 p.m. and 11 p.m.) will feature interviews and celebration of the participants throughout the week.
- ESPN Deportes: Comprehensive coverage of Super Bowl LVI featuring a team of reporters and analysts in Los Angeles, including Eduardo Varela, Pablo Viruega, John Sutcliffe, Ciro Procuna, Kary Correa, Ramiro Pruneda, Mauricio Pedroza and Sebastián Martínez Christensen. The team provides daily reports across SportsCenter, NFL Live, Ahora o Nunca, Cronómetro and Jorge Ramos y Su Banda.
ESPN Audio- ESPN Radio on Super Bowl Sunday: Coverage will include 15+ hours leading up to, during and immediately following the game on Sunday. ESPN Radio’s can’t-miss, postgame coverage will be led by multi-time Super Bowl Champions Max Starks and Je’Rod Cherry.
- ESPN Radio on Super Bowl Week: Feature a weeklong lineup of shows, starting with Keyshawn, JWill & Max at 6 a.m. through Freddie & Fitzsimmons ending at 1 a.m. Each show will also welcome a full lineup of special guests, including (subject to change): Terrell Davis, Mike Evans, Derrick Henry, Justin Jefferson, Aaron Jones, Jerod Mayo, Carson Palmer, Adrian Peterson, Ron Rivera, Emmanuel Sanders, Ronnie Staley, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Hines Ward and more.
- ESPN Daily: Host Pablo Torre will be on site from Los Angeles alongside former three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Alex Smith for special editions of the podcast, including an in-depth preview of the game on Thursday, Feb. 10.
- The Undefeated
In addition to Super Bowl Sunday, Reid and Rhoden will lead The Undefeated’s weeklong coverage of Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles. Highlights:
- Reid will examine the 2021-22 NFL hiring cycle and look at what’s next for a league
- Rhoden looks back at the 1946 Rams, a team that was instrumental in the NFL reintegrating – there had been an unwritten ban on Black players for 12 years – by signing Kenny Washington and Woodie Strode.
- Justin Tinsleywill answer five big questions about this year’s halftime show featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar.
- Award-winning singer and songwriter Mary J. Blige will preview her upcoming Super Bowl LVI Halftime performance in a special interview with senior entertainment reporter Kelley Carterfor Another Act, the star-studded digital video interview series exclusively on The Undefeated.
- ESPN.com and ESPN+ Editorial Content
Throughout the week, the Super Bowl will be covered from various angles. Among the highlights:- Stories for every Super Bowl ring, told by the coaches and players
- How the Bengals built their roster and which teams could copy their plan, via Bill Barnwell
- How is Detroit feeling about Matthew Stafford reaching the Super Bowl?
- Camera flashes, breathing reminders and feeling like Elvis: Tales of Super Bowl anxiety
- Super Bowl LVI cheat sheet: Everything you need to know.
- ESPN Digital and Social Channels
- Playoff Tailgate (5-6 p.m.) on Super Bowl Sunday with Jason Fitz, Mike Golic Jr and Skubie Mageza on multiple social platforms
- ESPN social team will be onsite, gathering content surrounding and during Super Bowl LVI
- Ultimate Madden Bowl ESPN Special
- In collaboration with EA SPORTS, ESPN will air the Ultimate Madden Bowl ESPN Special on Friday, February 11 (8:30 p.m.), which marks the Madden NFL Championship Series debut on ESPN. The biggest event in Madden esports history, the program will re-air once again on Super Bowl Sunday (9 a.m.) on ESPN2. Personality Kimmi Chex serves as the Ultimate Madden Bowl ESPN Special Stay tuned throughout the week for more Ultimate Madden Bowl information to be revealed.
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Contact: Derek Volner ([email protected])