ESPN was clear from the get-go. It did not expect the KayRod Cast to do ManningCast-like numbers on Sunday nights. That is good, because not only is the audience not as large, it is also going in the opposite direction from the ManningCast.
Whereas ESPN2’s alternate presentation of Monday Night Football grow from week-to-week, the alternate presentation of Sunday Night Baseball shrunk in week two. At least some of that is likely the result of the matchup. Week one featured the Yankees and Red Sox. Week two featured the Braves and Padres.
Sunday Night Baseball was down 50% on ESPN from week-to-week. Michael Kay and Alex Rodriguez saw their audience drop by 62%. The total number of viewers was just over 100,000. It accounted for 8% of the 1.21 million that watched the Braves and Padres across all ESPN platforms. That is also a drop. Week 1’s KayRod Cast accounted for 11% of viewership of the Yankees and Red Sox.
By contrast, the ManningCast saw a huge uptick from week one of the 2021 NFL season to Week 2.
No one expected the viewership of KayRod to compete with the ManningCast. That is just the difference between the audiences for football versus baseball. A backslide in total viewers may not even be a problem for ESPN.
It is worth asking though if we are already at the point of “too much of a good thing.” The Manning brothers have a charisma and chemistry that is hard to replicate. While things worked out for Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi in the Women’s Final Four, it may not be feasible to keep going to this alternate broadcast well for ESPN and expecting positive results.
