FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 29th, 2018

RIVALRY RENEWED – NO. 12 NOTRE DAME HOSTS NO. 14 MICHIGAN SATURDAY IN PRIMETIME ON NBC

NBC Sports Kicks Off 28th Season of Notre Dame Football on NBC

Mike Tirico, Doug Flutie, and Kathryn Tappen to Call Matchup; Former NFL Referee Terry McAulay Joins Notre Dame on NBC Booth as Rules Analyst

Liam McHugh and Chris Simms Provide Studio Coverage On-Site at Notre Dame Stadium

Notre Dame Pre-Game Show Countdown To Kickoff Begins at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN; Post-Game Coverage Airs on NBCSN

NBC Sports Gold to Offer Direct-To-Consumer Live Streaming Product For International Notre Dame Football Fans

NBC Sports Surrounds Notre Dame-Michigan With In-Market Activations and Social Media Blitz

STAMFORD, Conn. – August 29, 2018 – NBC Sports kicks off its 28th season of Notre Dame Football on NBC this weekend with a clash of two of the most storied programs in college football history, as the No. 12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish host the No. 14 Michigan Wolverines at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., on Saturday, September 1, at 7:30 p.m. ET, on NBC. Saturday’s coverage begins with Countdown to Kickoff at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

The Fighting Irish enter the 2018 campaign looking to build off a 10-win season in 2017 which was capped by a victory over LSU in the Citrus Bowl. Notre Dame QB Brandon Wimbush, who combined for 30 touchdowns (16 pass/14 rush) in his first season at the helm for the Fighting Irish, is expected to start on Saturday. Brian Kelly returns for his ninth season as head coach, making him the longest tenured Irish coach since Lou Holtz, and has won at least eight games in seven of his eight seasons. Notre Dame is 107-17-5 all-time in season openers.

For the first time since 2005, the Irish open the season against a ranked opponent, welcoming the Wolverines and head coach Jim Harbaugh to South Bend for the first time since Notre Dame’s 31-0 blowout win over Michigan in 2014. The rivalry dates back over a century as Michigan played Notre Dame in the Irish’s first-ever game in 1887. The Wolverines have won 24 of 42 all-time meetings, and Michigan holds the most wins all-time (943), while Notre Dame ranks sixth (885).

After consecutive 10-3 seasons in Harbaugh’s first two campaigns helming his alma mater, Michigan went 8-5 a year ago, dropping its final two games of the regular season before falling to South Carolina in the Outback Bowl. Ole Miss transfer Shea Patterson is expected to start at quarterback against the Irish this Saturday.

NBC Sports’ Notre Dame football commentary team is led by Mike Tirico, who begins his second full season as the voice of Notre Dame Football on NBC. He’ll be joined in the booth by Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie, who serves as lead analyst for Notre Dame Football on NBC, and sideline reporter Kathryn Tappen. Former NFL referee Terry McAulay, who recently joined NBC Sports following his recent retirement after 20 years as an on-field NFL game official, begins his first season as an on-air rules analyst.

Liam McHugh hosts studio coverage of Notre Dame Football on NBC, alongside former college and NFL quarterback Chris Simms, who returns for his second season as a studio analyst. McHugh and Simms will anchor pre-game, halftime, and post-game coverage on-site at Notre Dame Stadium this season.

Listed below is the complete 2018 Notre Dame Football on NBC schedule.

2018 NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL ON NBC

DATE TIME (ET) GAME NETWORK
Saturday, September 1 7:30 p.m. Notre Dame vs. Michigan NBC
Saturday, September 8 3:30 p.m. Notre Dame vs. Ball State NBC
Saturday, September 15 2:30 p.m. Notre Dame vs. Vanderbilt NBC
Saturday, September 29 7:30 p.m. Notre Dame vs. Stanford NBC
Saturday, October 13 2:30 p.m. Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh NBC
Saturday, November 10 7:30 p.m. Notre Dame vs. Florida State NBC
Saturday, November 17 2:30 p.m. Notre Dame vs. Syracuse* NBC

*at Yankee Stadium

NBC SPORTS GOLD TO OFFER DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER LIVE STREAMING PRODUCT FOR INTERNATIONAL NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL FANS

NBC Sports Gold – NBC Sports Digital’s direct-to-consumer live streaming product – is relaunching its international “Notre Dame Football Season Pass,” giving fans in 13 international countries access to every Fighting Irish home game during the 2018 season. Powered by NBC Sports’ Playmaker Media, the direct-to-consumer pass will offer fans abroad comprehensive coverage of seven Notre Dame football home games live and on-demand, available online, as well as on mobile devices and tablets.

NBC Sports Gold’s “Notre Dame Football Season Pass” is available for purchase now for $49.99, and features all seven home games in the 2018 season, beginning this Saturday, Sept. 1, with the highly-anticipated matchup between Michigan and Notre Dame. The pass is available in 13 countries: Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and UK. USD or local currency pricing is available. “Notre Dame Football Season Pass” is not available to customers in the U.S. Click here for more information.


NBC SPORTS SURROUNDS NOTRE DAME-MICHIGAN WITH IN-MARKET ACTIVATIONS AND SOCIAL MEDIA BLITZ

With the renewal of one of college football’s greatest rivalries to kick off the 2018 college football season on NBC, NBC Sports is surrounding Notre Dame-Michigan with a robust social media strategy and in-market activations to make Saturday night’s big game on NBC even bigger.

In addition to on-air, digital and paid inventory, NBC Sports is tapping into strong college football markets to reach fans ahead of Saturday night’s primetime clash on NBC. On game day, NBC Sports will infiltrate the Windy City, amplified by NBC Sports Chicago and owned-and-operated station WMAQ, with in-market activations to encourage viewing later that evening in primetime. Highlights will include a Pot of Gold Tailgate at the Navy Pier and marching bands performing Notre Dame and Michigan fight songs throughout the city. In addition to the Chicago market, bars and locations around New York City, Boston and Nashville will have Notre Dame takeovers throughout the day and into the game.

NBC Sports is also amplifying its social media coverage for Notre Dame-Michigan. A Snapchat Live Story will be live from South Bend on game day. @NDonNBC on Twitter will also make it easier for fans to share hype videos and custom content through conversation cards during the week. Additionally, campus ambassadors from Notre Dame will be providing real time content for both the NBC Sports social channels, as well as Notre Dame on NBC for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.


INSIDE THE IRISH
ON NBCSPORTS.COM

NBCSports.com will continue its Notre Dame Football coverage through its popular Inside The Irish blog, as Notre Dame Football insider Douglas Farmer covers the Irish from all angles throughout the upcoming 2018 season.


NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL ON NBCSPORTS.COM AND THE NBC SPORTS APP

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming platforms for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will provide extensive live streaming coverage of the 2018 Notre Dame Football on NBC season via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app are powered by Playmaker Media and available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.

–NBC SPORTS–