Christopher Berman grew up in Irvington, New York, and attended the Hackley School before enrolling at Brown University. He graduated in 1977 with a degree in history and worked as sports director of the campus radio station. Berman broke into television at WVIT in Hartford, Connecticut, as a weekend sports anchor. ESPN hired him in October 1979, just a month after the network’s launch.

For over three decades, Berman anchored ESPN’s NFL studio coverage, hosting Sunday NFL Countdown from 1985 to 2016. He and Tom Jackson co-hosted the original NFL Primetime from 1987 to 2005, building it into cable’s highest-rated studio show. Berman also called play-by-play for MLB broadcasts and hosted golf and hockey coverage for the network. He stepped back from daily NFL hosting duties in 2017 to focus on a reduced, public-facing role.

Today Berman hosts NFL Primetime, the highlight show he relaunched on ESPN+ in 2019 alongside Booger McFarland. He also appears on ESPN’s coverage surrounding the NFL Draft and marquee season broadcasts. Berman has signed contract extensions to remain with the network through the 2029 NFL season.