NFL games have seen numerous alternate broadcast ideas in recent years. Whether it be the Manningcast, Amazon’s barbershop idea with LeBron James, or the Dude Perfect stream, alternate broadcasts are nothing new. And then came Toy Story.
As an avowed Manningcast lover, I’m hesitant to say the upcoming Toy Story broadcast is the best thing since sliced bread, but it’s pretty close.
When it was announced that Disney+ and ESPN+ would feature a simulcast of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons next month with the characters from Toy Story, I nearly jumped for joy.
First of all, the technology is there for Disney+ to utilize. Earlier this year, the company produced an alternate broadcast of an NHL game that featured its Big City Greens brand. Had I heard of the show? No. I don’t have kids. Did I watch the entire game that way? Absolutely. Did I end up on a group chat with four of my 30-something-year-old friends talking about the game? 100%. Because it’s fun. Especially when you don’t have a dog in the fight. To just sit back and watch cartoons play a game when you know it’s live and it’s actually Mika Zibanejad and not whoever the hell is in Big City Greens, it’s a grand old time.
The Toy Story brand is massive. You can’t argue otherwise. It’s the perfect pairing for an alternate broadcast because it will attract eyeballs of both young and old. Or maybe old enough. I don’t think the average person realizes that the first movie in the franchise came out nearly 30 years ago…and it’s still culturally relevant.
Pair the strong brand with the strongest brand in television — the NFL — and you have a match made in heaven. Have you ever wanted to see Buzz Lightyear stiff arm his way to a TD? Or Woody the Cowboy say “There’s a snake in my boots!” after a big third down sack? Neither have I, but sometimes The Walt Disney Company knows what I want more than I do. And now I desperately want to see it.
I’m not naive enough to pretend that this play is anything other than what it is: turning a beloved movie franchise into a Joe the Camel-type marketing ploy to hook young people into loving the NFL. But I don’t have time to be cynical about this. I’m filled with too much joy, damn it.
It isn’t the first time the NFL has done this. The Nickelodeon simulcast has been a mainstay in recent years, and even served as a proving ground for up-and-coming play-by-play announcer Noah Eagle.
The NFL needed to find a way to attract young fans other than just watching grown men hurl their bodies into one another. You can decry the TikTok-ification of today’s youth, or you can appreciate the business acumen of the league and its network partners. I’m choosing to do the second. I hope you’ll join me in the fun.
PS: I’ve never actually seen the playoff simulcast on Nickelodeon, but I’d probably love it.
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.
