Ever since debuting in 2021, the so-called ManningCast, an alternate broadcast of Monday Night Football featuring Super Bowl-winning quarterback brothers Peyton and Eli Manning, has provided fans with a fresh perspective, and some memorable moments with entertaining guests.
While not every fan opts for this version of Monday Night Football over the traditional broadcast, there is a definite subset of fans who appreciate the change of pace and regularly tune in. However, viewership data indicates that the broadcast had its smallest audience ever on its season premiere as the New York Jets fell to the San Francisco 49ers. Several potential reasons can be cited for this development, with none providing the entire answer by itself, but perhaps in conjunction, they can all all explain it.
Firstly, the game quickly became uncompetitive with the 49ers racing out to leads of 26-7 and 32-13. Of course, this isn’t the first blowout the brothers have called, but it certainly doesn’t help.
The novelty of the ManningCast might also be starting to wear off in its fourth season, another potentially small but measurable contributing factor. Fans have also cited improvement in the main Monday Night Football broadcast, and of course, ESPN’s challenges with DirecTV, pulling both broadcasts out of a significant number of homes.
The downward shift is surprising, to a degree, given a new wrinkle to the ManningCast’s presentation this year- legendary coach Bill Belichick, a longtime adversary of both Manning brothers, is now a weekly guest. However, the presence of the eight-time Super Bowl champion didn’t quite stir up viewership the way the brothers, and presumably ESPN executives, might have hoped.
It’s been a unique start to the 2024 season overall, with plenty of surprising on-field results and the least-productive passing performances of any opening week in recent memory. Perhaps the struggles of the ManningCast to pull its usual audience can be attributed to early-season wrinkles that need to be ironed out, and could be as the season goes on. However, this trend will need to turn around quickly, or else this unique broadcasting format could be in jeopardy when ESPN looks towards renewals at the end of this season.
The Mannings will next take to the booth for a bird battle, between the Atlanta Falcons and one of Eli’s greatest rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles. This matchup is a fascinating one, between an Eagles team that picked up a big season-opening win and a Falcons squad that failed to meet offseason expectations in its loss to the Steelers. We’ll have to wait and see if the brothers’ broadcast will pull better numbers than it did in San Francisco, or if the downward trend continues. If it’s the latter, questions will begin to be asked about the program’s viability going forward.
