Peyton and Eli Manning won’t be leaving ESPN anytime soon. On Wednesday, Disney, ESPN and Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions agreed to a new deal, which means the ManningCast that airs on ESPN2 at the same time as ESPN’s Monday Night Football will continue to air through at least the 2024 season. The original deal was for three years.
“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.,” Peyton Manning said in a statement, per Variety. “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 new agreement also calls for the creation of similar programs alongside college football, golf and UFC matches, using other hosts and produced by Ohama productions and ESPN.
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The ManningCast was a huge success this past season as Peyton and Eli would watch the Monday Night Football game and analyze the contest. They would also have special guests on the show, including Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and even Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Variety says ManningCast averaged 1.9 million viewers, which is 13% of the overall Monday Night Football audience.
“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. This new agreement allows us to deepen our relationship and explore original concepts to spread that magic to other sports and events,” Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of ESPN and sports content for Disney, said in a statement. “Ultimately, this will help grow our audience by providing fans with even more creative options that they crave.”
The ManningCast is an alternative to Peyton and Eli working in the broadcast booth. When Peyton retired after the 2015 season, he was being pursued by multiple Networks to be a color commentator for NFL games. The former Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos quarterback was reluctant to travel each week, which led to ESPN coming up with ManningCast as Peyton and Eli can call games from home. The duo worked 10 regular-season games and one postseason game in 2021. Omaha Productions has also produced several ESPN+ shows, including Peyton’s Places, Eli Places, Rowdy’s Places and Big Papi’s Places.
