Retired New York Giants legend Eli Manning and his older brother, Peyton Manning, took the NFL world by storm in 2021. Their alternate version of the ESPN Monday Night Football broadcast — known as the ManningCast — became one of the most influential shows on television.
The ManningCast transcended the game of football and established itself as a must-watch pop culture phenomenon.
For that reason, it should come as little surprise that ESPN has opted not only to extend the ManningCast through the 2024 regular season, but expand upon it.
ESPN and The Walt Disney Company announced earlier this week that they’ve reached an agreement with the Mannings and Peyton’s Omaha Productions to expand the broadcast into golf, UFC and college football coverage.
The extension will add a fourth year (through 2024 season) for Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli, featuring a 10-game annual slate of alternative productions to ESPN’s traditional Monday Night Football telecast. Additionally, the agreement calls for alternative presentations (with other hosts) for UFC, college football and golf to be produced by Omaha Productions in collaboration with ESPN.
For each of those sport categories, there will be multiple events per year showcasing alternative viewing options. For college football, the commitment will be comprised of regular-season and post-season matchups, including the College Football Playoff National Championship. For golf and UFC, select events will be included annually. Hosts for each sport will be named at a future date.
“We couldn’t be more proud of Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli and the partnership we’ve developed with Peyton, Eli and the team at Omaha Productions,” Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman of ESPN and Sports Content, said. “This new agreement allows us to deepen our relationship and explore original concepts to spread that magic to other sports and events. Ultimately, this will help grow our audience by providing fans with even more creative options that they crave.”
There were, of course, some hiccups during the live ManningCast over the course of its first season, but that really just added to the watchability. Eli Manning flipping the bird? Marshawn Lynch dropping some F-bombs? Peyton’s audio cutting out and visibly frustrating him? Sold.
“I’ve always loved talking football with my brother, and it was even more fun to do it while watching ESPN’s Monday Night Football,” said Peyton Manning. “Eli and I are excited to sign on for another season, and the entire Omaha team is looking forward to producing MegaCasts that celebrate other sports.”
The nine-episode ManningCast averaged 1.6 million viewers per episode in 2021, shattering ESPN’s alternative broadcast records in the process. Their most-watched episode came in Week 8 when the New York Giants visited the Kansas City Chiefs. That broadcast drew a whopping 1.96 million viewers.
