Amazon Aims To Take 'ManningCast' Away From ESPN

Amazon Aims To Take 'ManningCast' Away From ESPN

Amazon interested in hiring Peyton Manning's Omaha Productions to produce an alternate telecast of 'Thursday Night Football,' said sources.

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Amazon Aims To Take 'ManningCast' Away From ESPN​

Amazon is interested in taking the “ManningCast” away from ESPN, sources tell Front Office Sports.

As part of its push into live sports, Amazon Prime Video is eyeing Peyton and Eli Manning for a “Thursday Night Football” MegaCast when Omaha Productions’ 3-year deal is up with ESPN.

Under the current deal between Peyton Manning’s production company and the Walt Disney Co., the Mannings are contracted to call 10 alternate “Monday Night Football” telecasts each season from 2021-2023.

As usual in talent situations, ESPN would probably get an exclusive window to renew its deal with the Mannings before Omaha opens talks with other suitors. The talks are expected to kick off sometime in 2022.

Andy Jassy, the new president and chief executive officer of Amazon, is a “huge sports fan” noted one sports TV executive. With 2020 sales of $386 billion, Amazon could pay whatever it takes to land the brothers as it takes over exclusive national coverage of TNF in 2022.

“Amazon could just come in with a ton of money for the show — plus Amazon Prime content deals for Omaha — then move ManningCast over in two years,” said the source.

An Amazon spokesman declined to comment. ESPN also declined to comment.

But shifting the popular “ManningCast” off ESPN2 and the ESPN+ streaming platform would be a big gamble for both Omaha and the NFL.

The Manning brothers have been a huge TV hit, even putting the mania around Tony Romo of CBS in the rear-view mirror.

ESPN produces the ManningCast in conjunction with Omaha. Over their first eight games of this season, the brothers have averaged 1.6 million viewers on ESPN2.

They’ve already generated the seven most-watched alternate telecasts in ESPN history (hitting a high of 1.96 million viewers for MNF’s Week 8 game on Nov. 1).

With their connections throughout sports and entertainment, the Mannings have brought on a nonstop array of celebrity guests, including LeBron James, former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, Tom Brady, Charles Barkley, Russell Wilson and David Letterman.

The brothers will return to the ManningCast twice more during the 2021 season, providing alternate calls of the Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers MNF game on Jan. 3, then the Wild Card playoff game on Jan. 17.

“Why mess with success?” asked another source. “Don’t forget the NFL would probably have to approve. The league loves what ESPN is doing with the Mannings on TV. Does the NFL want ManningCast to be a streaming-only property?”

Don’t discount the power of Disney. Between them, ESPN and Disney provide massive promotional support behind the ManningCast. Since 2019, ESPN has successfully nurtured a relationship with Omaha.

ESPN+ shows Peyton Manning’s popular “Peyton’s Places.” The franchise keeps growing, with five series in development, including “Eli’s Places” with Eli Manning, “Abby’s Places” with Abby Wambach and “Papi’s Places” with David Ortiz.

But Amazon would likely argue that its 200 million-plus global Amazon Prime customers would counter the loss of ESPN2 and ESPN.

Amazon is making a big push into the NFL. The tech giant is the lead contender to buy up to a 49% stake in league properties such as the NFL Network. It is weighing a TNF announcing “dream team” of Troy Aikman and Al Michaels for 2022.

From a negotiating standpoint, Omaha can’t just sign with the highest bidder either.

If another media outlet wants to take the ManningCast away from ESPN, they would have to be one of the companies that hold live NFL game rights. Namely: CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Fox Sports or Amazon.

CBS is probably out of the picture after agreeing to pay Romo $18 million a year, then shelling out again to retain top announcer Jim Nantz.

NBC Sports is shutting down its NBCSN cable channel as of Dec. 31, although the Peacock could seek to place the ManningCast on a sister NBCUniversal/Comcast network.

With no successor in place, Fox has its hands full trying to retain Aikman as its No. 1 analyst.

 

[den-the-coach]

Funny I enjoy watching the Manning's, but not when the Rams are playing, too much non focus on the game IMHO. It does not matter what platform, it appears we will always get our sports so many of us have cut the cord, however, the caveat to that is you need faster high speed data in order to stream & you have to subscribe to the right provider...The games are just beginning when it comes to this.

 

[OldSchool]

Peyton and Eli right now...

 

[Faceplant]

I love the Manningcast
It is must see TV IMO. I even watched the Manning call the last Rams MNF..... as brutal as that fucking game was...

 

[Q729]

I love the Manningcast
It is must see TV IMO. I even watched the Manning call the last Rams MNF..... as brutal as that fucking game was...

Thats exactly why I switched to them. Couldn't take listening to the regular announcers any longer once the shit got off the rails.

 

[snackdaddy]

I haven't watched the Manningcast show. So I don't know if I'd like it or not. I do like Romo as a commentator. He seems to really get into it and provides an insight we don't usually get from most commentators.

 

[den-the-coach]

I haven't watched the Manningcast show. So I don't know if I'd like it or not.

For me when it's any other team I enjoy the Manning's and their guests, however, when the Rams are playing, I want to totally focus on the game and I want the full screen of the game and don't care about anything else. Now when other teams are playing, the game & the banter is entertaining, but for me, not when it's the Los Angeles Rams.

 

[Jacobarch]

Love it. I'd like to see them get away from ESPN to have a more "raw" show

 

[nighttrain]

I have misgivings about Amazon owning too much.
train

 

[Classic Rams]

I've enjoyed the Manningcast highlights clips from youtube. Can't find where to stream it full, I don't see it in my favorite stream sites.

Yeah if they got too far off the game a lot during Rams telecasts it could get annoying. It would be more or less a compromise to watch it in that situation.

 

[Classic Rams]

I have misgivings about Amazon owning too much.
train

Yeah them and Disney. Misgivings being the "polite" word here.

 

[Dodgersrf]

I have misgivings about Amazon owning too much.
train

Yeah...it's Jeff Bezos world..we just live in it.

 

[Memento]

Yeah...it's Jeff Bezos world..we just live in it.

Speaking of which, there was a Jeff Bezos/Mansa Musa Epic Rap Battles of History video.

 

[Merlin]

All I want to do is watch the game. So for me it's about keeping focus on the game not all the other BS. I get irritated when the camera switching gets sloppy, things like cutting back to the game after the ball is snapped.

The Mannings are entertaining but it's too much about them. Honestly an ideal feed for me would have zero announcers and just a camera on the game with a good mic system picking up the crowd noise.

I think the future of sports is multi-feeds. If I were a TV exec my plan would be to provide a feed that has selectable modes where you can jump quickly between views of the field (from the side), field (bird's eye), field with announcer, or a higher up all 22, as well as some stuff like sidelines for each team. Basically tailor the media and cater to the computer or phone watching fan.

Btw I get the whole chase big names thing. It's worked for Hollywood for years. But IMO going for more substance would be the best approach.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I don't like the 'Manning cast' at all. I'm not one to be in awe enough of someone's greatness to want to listen to them shooting the shit while watching a game. It was a pretentious concept to begin with imo. It would be better to have them actually doing a real broadcast on the game. There is a dearth of good broadcasters in the NFL right now. We need some knowledgeable commentators that are more about the game than their voice inflection during an exciting play.