Netflix continues to take steps toward becoming a full-fledged sports broadcaster, now reportedly adding its first full-time on-air talent.
ESPN “SportsCenter” anchor Elle Duncan is close to a deal with Netflix to become its first full-time on-air sports personality, Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported Monday. The deal would be non-exclusive, potentially allowing Duncan to continue appearing on ESPN, though Marchand said that there is “pessimism” surrounding that possibility. [Update 11/25: Duncan will be leaving ESPN entirely, Marchand reported Wednesday.]
Duncan only just returned to her position on the 6 PM ET “SportsCenter” last week after a long hiatus. She has been with ESPN since 2016 after previous stints with NESN in Boston and 11 Alive in Atlanta.
Hiring Duncan would be just the latest step toward Netflix establishing itself in live sports. The streamer has thus far had to rely on outside talent in staffing its live sports productions, a task that has been increasingly difficult as those networks are leery of lending talent to what they believe is a competitor.
Having in-house talent would not only begin to reduce that reliance on competing networks, but also provide a consistency across the eclectic mix of sporting events Netflix has acquired.
Next year, Netflix will carry the Major League Baseball season opener and Home Run Derby, plus one more year of Christmas Day NFL games. In 2027, it will carry the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time. Add to those events the usual smattering of live boxing cards and occasional special events like the tennis “Six Kings Slam.”
To be frank, that is probably not enough events to justify hiring a full-time host. But all signs point to Netflix continuing to accumulate sports content, and the streamer is now being floated in pretty much every rights discussion — from the Big Ten Championship that NBC is reportedly looking to sublicense to the college basketball Players Era Festival.
And in the meantime, Duncan will reportedly have the opportunity to work for other networks and to contribute to non-sports Netflix programming.
Per Marchand, Netflix was also interested in ESPN host Malika Andrews.
