I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the NFL is a “copycat league”. The same is also true for broadcasting. Don’t believe me? Just look at what the Manningcast has created.
The Manningcast didn’t create the alternate broadcast. Quite the contrary. ESPN has been doing alternate broadcasts for big events for quite a long time. But one could argue the Manningcast has perfected the alternate broadcast. Not me, by the way. Not once in my life have I ever thought “You know what this broadcast needs right now? Joel McHale!”, but I digress.
But, without a doubt, the Manningcast is the most popular alternate broadcast. And rightfully so. You have a pair of excellent, well-liked personalities that also happen to be NFL quarterbacks who reached the sport’s highest heights. It’s an instant recipe destined for success.
What isn’t destined for success, however, is the bevy of copycat alternate broadcasts that have popped up, on seemingly every network for seemingly every event. It feels as if “trying to reach a younger audience” has become the new shield companies hid behind to justify their alternate broadcast, similar to the “I’m stepping down to spend more time with my family” excuse coaches give when they’re plotting on taking another job.
Young people, for the most part, are going to watch Thursday Night Football or Sunday Night Baseball or the World Pickleball Championships no matter the presentation. Sports broadcasts aren’t World News Tonight. There’s not a whole lot to digest. Contrary to what many might think, it’s quite easy for a pre-teen to figure out what’s going on between the Cardinals and 49ers.
At the risk of stepping into “old man shakes fist at cloud” territory, who is clamoring for a Dude Perfect broadcast of Thursday Night Football? When an Andrea Kremer/Hannah Storm alternate broadcast was announced a few years ago, who pounded the table and demanded that? In a similar vein to Ryan Brown’s column for BSM last week, people outside of New York hate Michael Kay and they hate Alex Rodriguez. Yet, ESPN paired them for the KayRod Cast and their biggest audience featured an interview with Derek Jeter that 300,000 people watched, or — to put it another way — about 20% of the Manningcast.
And furthermore, I don’t understand the thought process behind signing off on your own version of an alternate broadcast. If the only reason you’re putting an alternate broadcast together is because “everyone else is doing it”, there’s a high chance your alternate broadcast is going to suck. Harsh, I know, but its the truth.
This isn’t all that hard. Your viewers are going to know that you’re ripping off the Manningcast. Why you would want to associate something second-rate is beyond me. When push comes to shove, do you want your viewers to think you’re the YETI Coolers or the SHITI Coolers? Would you rather be Coke or RC Cola? If you had your pick, would you rather be Oreo or Hydrox? Those seem like easy answers. And yet, a network executive somewhere today will ask “what are we going to do for an alternate broadcast?” in a meeting, binding themselves to a second-rate product.
Don’t misconstrue what I’m saying here. There are perfectly fine alternate broadcasts. I think the Nickelodeon broadcast of the NFL is a great idea. I think Pat McAfee’s college football broadcasts will be well received, as long as they allow him to be the star and don’t rely on guests to try to drive ratings.
The reason the Manningcast works isn’t because it’s an alternative to the usual Monday Night Football broadcast. It’s because an overwhelming majority of people have a favorable opinion of Peyton and Eli Manning. Very few things in life are that simple, but in this case, it’s true. Unless you’re going to pair Ryan Reynolds with Dolly Parton, networks are starting their alternate broadcast plans off on the wrong foot.
Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing bi-weekly industry features and a weekly column. He has previously served as Program Director and Afternoon Co-Host on 93.1 The Fan in Lima, OH, and is the radio play-by-play voice of Northern Michigan University hockey. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
Ryan Reynolds and Dolly Parton would be awesome.