STERLING SHARPE JOINS NBC'S 'FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA' AS STUDIO ANALYST

Conference Call TODAY at 3 p.m. ET - Dial 719/457-2627 to Participate

NEW YORK -� May 2, 2006 -� Sterling Sharpe, a five-time NFL Pro Bowl selection who never missed a single game in seven seasons with the Green Bay Packers, and the first NFL player to record consecutive 100-reception seasons, joins NBC's "Football Night in America" studio show as an analyst, it was announced today by Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics. There will be a conference call TODAY with Sharpe and Ebersol at 3 p.m. ET; dial 719/457-2627 to participate.

"Sterling made an enormous impression on us at his audition," said Ebersol. "He has always been unafraid to speak his mind and will bring strong, informed opinions to the show. He has tremendous on-air chemistry with Bob, Cris and Jerome and is the ideal choice to complete our 'Football Night in America' team. I can't wait to get started this fall."

Sharpe joins the most honored NFL broadcast team ever assembled. Al Michaels, whom the AP called "TV's best play-by-play announcer," will call "NBC Sunday Night Football" games alongside John Madden, the most honored analyst in television history with 15 Emmy Awards. Bob Costas, an 18-time Emmy Award winner, will host NBC's "Football Night in America" studio show alongside co-host Cris Collinsworth, the most honored studio analyst in history with six Emmy Awards, and analyst Jerome Bettis, one of the most popular players in recent NFL history. "NBC Sunday Night Football" coverage also includes sideline and feature reporter Andrea Kremer, whom the Los Angeles Times has called "the best TV interviewer in the business of covering the NFL." Peter King, who covers the NFL for Sports Illustrated and is considered one of the country's foremost NFL reporters, serves as a reporter for the "Football Night in America" studio show.

Sharpe, 40, never missed a game in seven stellar NFL seasons with the Green Bay Packers, and holds the team record with 595 career receptions. A five-time Pro Bowl selection, he led the NFL in catches three times, touchdown catches twice and receiving yards once. Sharpe had five 1,000-yard seasons and became the first NFL player to record consecutive 100-reception seasons in 1992-93. He was the Packers' first-round draft choice in 1988 from the University of South Carolina

Following his playing career, Sharpe was an analyst for ESPN's "Sunday Night Countdown" and spent the last two seasons with the NFL Network as an analyst on "Playbook." He will continue to serve as an analyst for the NFL Network.

"FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA" & "NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL"

NBC's "Football Night in America" primetime studio show and the premier primetime game of the week, "NBC Sunday Night Football" will be broadcast in high definition.

NBC's NFL agreement continues through the 2011 season and calls for 16 regular season Sunday night games, each season's "NFL Kickoff" Thursday night primetime game, two postseason Wild Card games and three preseason games in primetime, in addition to Super Bowl XLIII in 2009 in Tampa and XLVI in 2012 and Pro Bowls in the same years.

Under the new NFL agreement, the NFL provides NBC flexible game scheduling over seven of the final eight weeks of the regular season for "NBC Sunday Night Football." Flexible scheduling, offered for the first time by the NFL, ensures marquee matchups when many teams' playoff chances are at stake.