Ice skating (and especially figure skating) has different commentators depending on the country, broadcaster, and event, so there’s no single fixed set of names worldwide.

Below is a quick scoop on some of the best‑known English‑language figure‑skating/ice‑skating voices people usually mean when they ask “who are the commentators for ice skating?”

Big picture: why there’s no single list

  • Commentators are assigned by broadcaster + event + language (for example, NBC in the US vs. Eurosport in Europe).
  • Teams often have a main play‑by‑play host plus a technical/specialist ex‑skater who explains jumps, levels, and scoring.
  • Line‑ups can change each season (e.g., for World Championships vs. Olympics vs. Grand Prix stream feeds).

So instead of one universal list, fans usually talk about “favorite commentators” by channel or event.

Classic & often‑mentioned figure skating voices

These are names that come up again and again in fan conversations about figure‑skating commentary.

  • Dick Button – Two‑time Olympic champion who became one of ABC’s signature figure‑skating analysts for Winter Olympics coverage and major events.
  • Peggy Fleming – 1968 Olympic champion, long‑time analyst paired with hosts such as Al Michaels and Jim McKay for Olympic figure‑skating on American TV.
  • Al Michaels / Jim McKay – Not skating specialists but famous Olympic hosts and commentators who fronted ABC’s coverage, including figure skating segments.

Fans on skating forums often reference this era as the “classic TV” style: big‑network hosts plus a star ex‑skater as analyst.

Current & recent English‑language setups (examples)

Exact rosters shift year to year, but some patterns are common.

World feed / international examples

  • Many ISU events have an international or “world feed” commentary team that various broadcasters can pick up.
  • Databases of Olympic and figure‑skating broadcasts list names like Simon Reed , Chris Howarth , and Olly Hogben as main commentators or co‑commentators for English‑language feeds on services such as Discovery+ or Eurosport Player.

These world‑feed voices are the ones you’re likely to hear on generic streams or pan‑European platforms.

Big Olympic broadcasters

  • Large networks (for example, major US Olympic broadcasters) typically use a host plus former skating champions as analysts, similar to what they do for sports like hockey and speed skating.
  • Press releases for upcoming Winter Games list dozens of commentators across sports, including figure skating, speed skating, and hockey, often featuring ex‑Olympic medalists as experts.

Because we’re in the run‑up to the Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, these casting announcements are being updated and expanded now.

How fans talk about “best” figure‑skating commentators

Figure‑skating forums and Reddit threads give a good feel for who viewers like and why.

Common themes:

  • Knowledge of rules & tech – People want someone who can clearly explain under‑rotations, edge calls, and GOE, especially for ice dance.
  • Kind but honest – Skaters‑turned‑commentators (for example, those interviewed about the role) often say their guiding principle is to be kind, but still point out when something isn’t up to standard.
  • Discipline‑specific expertise – Fans repeatedly say ice dance coverage is better when the booth includes someone who actually skated ice dance , not just a generalist.
  • Lower vs. top groups – Some viewers explicitly prefer commentary on lower‑ranked groups, saying commentators there describe what’s really on the ice instead of following a narrative “script” for the medal contenders.

A lot of “all‑time favorite commentators?” discussions are fans swapping under‑the‑radar names they like from national broadcasts or smaller streaming services.

If you meant a specific channel or country…

Because the answer changes by broadcaster, you’ll get a much sharper list if you specify something like:

  1. Country (e.g., US, UK, Canada, Japan).
  2. Broadcaster or platform (NBC, BBC, CBC, Eurosport, YouTube/ISU stream, etc.).
  3. Event type (Grand Prix series, Worlds, Olympics, national championships).

For example, someone might ask “Who are the commentators for Worlds in English this year?” and fans will answer with the exact main commentator plus specialist for that specific feed.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.