ESPN And Disney Reach Deal With Peyton & Eli Manning For ‘Monday Night Football’ MegaCasts

Dade Hayes
·2 min read
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ESPN and The Walt Disney Company will feature Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks Peyton Manning his brother, Eli, in “megacasts” of Monday Night Football across ESPN2 and other Disney outlets.

The arrangement with Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions starts with games in the fall and will cover 30 games over the next three seasons.

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Each Manning-centric game will be on ESPN2 and then could also be on ESPN+ or other properties. The broadcasts will complement the mother-ship Monday Night Football telecast on ESPN and/or ABC each week.

The goal of the setup, like other alternate feeds deployed by networks and streaming services in recent years, is to explore new methods of viewer engagement. The Big 4 broadcast networks along with Amazon signed deals with the NFL that start in 2022 and run for more than a decade. The pacts afford flexibility to rights holders to tweak their traditional programming approaches.

Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Louis Riddick, Lisa Salters and John Parry will return for their second season as a broadcast group and will handle the traditional Monday night call on ESPN.

“Offering multiple Monday Night Football viewing options for the next three seasons continues our innovation efforts and provides additional value for our fans,” ESPN chief Jimmy Pitaro said in a press release. “Peyton and Eli will bring a different approach, delving into conversation about broader, big-picture topics while also honing in on the game, much like fans do when watching with their family and friends.”

The special telecasts will be produced by ESPN in conjunction with Omaha, and will originate from a remote location. “Fans will be treated to a mix of in-the-moment analysis, big picture NFL dialogue, knee-jerk reaction, historical perspective, and more,
the official announcement said. The Mannings will be joined each week by a to-be-determined host. Celebrities as as well as current and former athletes are expected to appear throughout the season.

“This partnership with ESPN and The Walt Disney Company reflects an ongoing, shared commitment to offering fans fun, innovative content,” Peyton Manning said. “ESPN+ has been a terrific partner for Omaha Productions as we built out The Places franchise and we’re excited to co-create a new MegaCast format that will have something for everyone.”

Manning turned down an overture last year from ESPN and Disney to become a Monday Night Football analyst. He has appeared on an ESPN+ original, Peyton’s Places,, since 2019. That show is produced by Omaha and NFL Films, which together have developed five new series to debut over the next year.

Each of the Mannings has two Super Bowl titles. Peyton Manning won one with the Indianapolis Colts and a second with the Denver Broncos, while Eli Manning took the New York Giants to two unlikely championships.

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