NBCUniversal teams up to celebrate 'NFL Kickoff 2019'

30 NBCUniversal personalities, including Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani & John Legend, celebrate 100 years of NFL

With the NFL’s 100th season set to kick off Thursday, NBCUniversal is celebrating NBC Sports’ coverage of “NFL Kickoff 2019” with unmatched participation by its sports, news, entertainment and theme park assets, as the Chicago Bears host the Green Bay Packers in an NFC North showdown at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.

NBCUniversal will utilize 30 personalities across its portfolio of programing, including Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, John Legend, Mario Lopez, Dylan Dreyer and Jim Cramer to celebrate the NFL’s historic 100th season by sharing their favorite football memories.

In addition, NBCUniversal programs including “Today,” “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Nightly News with Lester Holt,” “Access” and “America’s Got Talent” will cover “NFL Kickoff 2019” and the return of “Sunday Night Football” with football-related content this week.

Betty White also hypes “NFL Kickoff 2019” in a new promotional video airing across NBCUniversal networks throughout the week, and Brett Favre returns to the parking lot of Soldier Field with “Bill Swerski’s Superfans” from “Saturday Night Live” to discuss the history of the Packers and “Da Bears” rivalry throughout the years.

NBC Sports’ “Sunday Night Football” bus returns this season to travel the country, beginning in Chicago for “NFL Kickoff 2019,” and visiting the host cities of each “Sunday Night Football” game. The “SNF” bus will be open for the “NFL Experience” in Grant Park. It will once again give fans the opportunity to interact with America’s most-watched primetime television show with exclusive activities and experiences.

For the first time ever, fans will be able to record content on the bus to share directly to their social platforms, with new experiences including augmented reality mirrors in the locker room, a green screen booth to replicate the iconic player intros in the “SNF” broadcast, and a brand-new “On Her Turf” photo experience celebrating the power of every football fan.

NBC Sports kicks off its coverage of the 2019 NFL season when the four-time Pro Bowler Khalil Mack and the Bears host two-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Coverage on NBC begins with a special edition of “Football Night in America” – the most-watched weekly studio show in sports – at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by kickoff at 8:20 p.m.

“FNIA” features studio host Mike Tirico. He will be joined on-site from Soldier Field by co-host Liam McHugh, Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy, two-time Super Bowl champion Rodney Harrison, “NFL Insider” Mike Florio and former NFL quarterback Chris Simms. Kathryn Tappen will report from “NFL Kickoff.”

Three days later, NBC Sports opens its 14th season of “Sunday Night Football” – America’s No. 1 primetime television show for a record eight consecutive years – when Super Bowl LIII MVP Tom Brady and the New England Patriots begin their title defense against Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first-ever matchup between two franchises with six Super Bowl titles. Coverage begins with “Football Night in America” at 7 p.m. Steelers-Patriots kicks off at 8:20 p.m.

Calling both matchups is Al Michaels (play-by-play), in his record 34th season as the voice of the NFL’s premier primetime package; 16-time Emmy Award-winner Cris Collinsworth; and three-time Emmy Award-winning sideline reporter Michele Tafoya. Three-time Super Bowl referee and “SNF” rules analyst Terry McAulay joins Michaels and Collinsworth in the booth.

For the seventh consecutive year, country music superstar Carrie Underwood will star in the “SNF” show open. This time, she welcomes Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Joan Jett. The all-new show open, which debuts ahead of Patriots-Steelers, nods to the first NBC “SNF” open in 2006 and features a new rendition of the original “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night” music.

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream all NBC NFL games to desktops, tablets, mobile devices and connected TVs via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to their subscription service, and making high-quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The full HD-quality video stream will come directly from NBC’s broadcasts. Powered by Playmaker Media, the NBC Sports app is available on Apple iOS, Android and select Samsung devices, as well as on Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Win10, PlayStation and Xbox.