Fans will be able to watch ESPN’s “ManningCast” for one additional year than originally planned. According to the network’s NFL insider Adam Schefter, ESPN and Omaha Productions expanded their agreement for Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli through the 2024 season.
Peyton and Eli Manning’s initial deal with ESPN was a three-year agreement that ran through the 2023 season. The success of the “ManningCast” ensured that it would come back for the next two seasons and now a third is being added.
(The contract extension also staves off other potential suitors like Amazon, which had expressed interest.)
The alternate Monday Night Football broadcast with Peyton and Eli and a rotating cast of guests, aired on ESPN2 and ESPN+ this past NFL regular season for 10 games and immediately became popular with fans on social media and sports media observers.
The insight from both Manning brothers on playing quarterback in the NFL, sharing the thinking that goes into various situations, and providing analysis on decision-making by signal-callers and coaches provided an in-depth alternative from the quick-bite, 15-second commentary often heard on regular NFL telecasts.
More importantly, the “ManningCast” brought more fun and irreverence to its coverage with guests from the NFL, college football, and entertainment. Sometimes, that led to moments not usually seen on primetime TV, such as uttering curse words or using obscene gestures, that gave viewers the sense that most anything could happen. Such as Eli Manning comparing himself to Shakira, when explaining Dak Prescott’s warm-up exercises for his hips.
But the “ManningCast” production had plenty of bumps in its first season, notably going into commercial breaks abruptly while cutting off guests speaking. The delay on audio for guests speaking with Peyton and Eli on Zoom also made for a difficult listening experience at times. And sometimes, the Manning brothers and their guests were so engaged in a conversation that they weren’t closely following what was happening in the game.
Not everyone liked the “ManningCast.” Diehards wanting traditional play-by-play and analysis still have the regular MNF telecast on ESPN. (Whether or not Steve Levy, Brian Griese, and Louis Riddick return for a third season has yet to be determined.) Some grumps who just don’t like fun seemed to deliberately go against popular opinion and either criticize or ignore it.
Yet innovation in sports broadcasting isn’t always successful. And this was more than a different camera view or new technology used during a telecast. This was an entirely different sort of broadcast, one that banked on the likability of Peyton and Eli and creating the impression of watching a game with friends. Being well-received is a major victory for ESPN. It’s no surprise the network wants it to continue.
UPDATE: The official announcement from ESPN also says that the agreement with Omaha Productions includes alternate telecasts for UFC, college football, and golf. Hosts for each event will be named later.
