ESPN has finally gotten Peyton Manning (and Eli) for Monday Night Football.
ESPN announced Monday that the Manning brothers will headline an alternate “Megacast” presentation of Monday Night Football ten times per season over the next three years (30 telecasts total). The alternate presentations, a joint presentation of ESPN and Manning’s Omaha Productions, will air on ESPN2 and possibly ESPN+.
The Manning Megacast will feature the brothers from a “remote location,” joined by a yet-to-be-determined host, current and former players and other celebrities. The Mannings will apparently be on-screen throughout in a “multi-box viewing experience.”
The elder Manning brother has been in high demand by television networks since his 2016 retirement, but declined lucrative offers to join MNF and FOX Thursday Night Football. The New York Post had recently floated the possibility of Manning being in the mix for Amazon’s Thursday night package that begins next season.
Manning is already in business with ESPN via his ESPN+ show “Peyton’s Places.”
The new Manning Megacast is set to debut in Week 1 of the coming NFL season and continue in the next two weeks, with additional dates yet to be announced. It will not affect the primary ESPN MNF presentation, which will continue to feature Steve Levy, Brian Griese and Louis Riddick in the booth with Lisa Salters on the sidelines.
[News from ESPN PR 7.19]
