Why should NFL broadcasters pay big bucks to Tony Romo and Peyton Manning when announcers don't equal ratings?

Sports Illustrated

Romo's new $18 million/year deal with CBS and ESPN's reported offer for $18 million to $20 million a year to Manning to join Monday Night Football seems excessive when viewers are tuning in for the games, not the announcers, says Jimmy Traina. "As I've written, announcers do not equal ratings. Monday Night Football's ratings were actually up in 2019 from 2018," says Traina. "What announcers do, if they are good, is give your network prestige, they keep the NFL happy, they keep your advertisers happy and they don't make a network's life a living hell when it comes to social media. They don't, however, translate to viewers."