Who doesn’t love game shows? I grew up watching a ton of them. Every evening, Pat Sajak and Alex Trebek kept the family company during dinnertime. It didn’t improve my education or keep my brain sharp, but it did bring the family together to play along. Pat McAfee is without question sports media’s ultimate ringmaster. But next week he’ll become sports media’s greatest game show host.
Yesterday, McAfee announced the first-ever ‘Progrum Feud,’ pitting the staff of his weekday program against the crew of NFL Live. During the second hour of the show on June 11, McAfee will become the modern-day sports media version of Richard Dawson. There will be drama, suspense, and wagering. Yes, wagering. McAfee’s show next Thursday will become the first ESPN studio program to create specific programming that viewers can officially wager on.
For years, sports radio and television programs have shared best bets, stone-cold locks, and picks of the day. Of course, those segments have always been accompanied by reminders that the picks are “for entertainment purposes only,” followed by disclaimers promoting responsible gambling and resources for those who may need help.
However, this ‘Progrum Feud’ debut takes programmatic advertising to an entirely different level.
Following McAfee’s announcement earlier this week that he had entered a multi-year partnership with DraftKings, the show wasted little time finding ways to integrate that relationship into its content. Within the first week of the partnership, Pat McAfee and his staff developed programming designed not only to market the product/partner but also to create a new form of audience interaction not seen ever on ESPN.
If you’ve been paying attention this week, you’ve likely noticed a major push from partners and influencers emphasizing that DraftKings’ prediction market is available in all 50 states. What better way to reinforce that message than by creating programming on your own show that viewers can actually wager on through the app?
Talk about an effective way to drive home a marketing message.
Survey Says….
However, the larger question is whether this represents a glimpse of what’s coming next. On its face, there are a lot of questions surrounding the makeup of ‘Progrum Feud’ next Thursday on ESPN.
For starters, consider the participants. NFL Live and the network’s lead NFL insider, Adam Schefter, are among those being promoted for the program. The date matters because June 11 is the final day of mandatory minicamp for 12 NFL teams. Another 15 teams will be conducting OTA workouts that day.
I’m not suggesting ESPN can’t cover 28 NFL teams and the news of the day without Schefter or the NFL Live crew readily available. However, when nearly the entire league is either wrapping up offseason work or generating headlines on the practice field, the timing does create an interesting programming decision.
If significant NFL news breaks during the game show, does the game continue uninterrupted? If it doesn’t, what happens to an event on which viewers can actively wager? I’m sure there are plenty of legal and operational details already worked out behind the scenes, but inquiring minds want to know.
The other question I ponder is whether this is what sports fans want from studio programming on ESPN. If ‘Progrum Feud’ is deemed a success by both ESPN and Pat McAfee, could we see similar concepts spread across other studio shows?
Will Monday Night Countdown feature prediction-market tie-ins tied to analyst picks? Could College GameDay eventually offer viewers the chance to wager on elements of McAfee’s weekly kicking competition? Might First Take or Get Up experiment with similar concepts?
Content Selection….
When I was a programmer, part of my job was poking holes in on-air ideas. It was also my responsibility to ask whether a concept made sense for the audience being served. There’s little doubt that McAfee’s audience includes a high percentage of sports bettors. There’s also little doubt that influencers help drive engagement for the products and brands they endorse.
But what about everyone else? What about viewers who don’t wager? What about fans tuning in for sports discussion, analysis, and breaking news? If the New York Knicks sweep the San Antonio Spurs, is the right choice for programming a trivia contest for the ESPN audience? If there’s breaking NFL news from any of the 28 teams with OTA or mini camp workouts going on, do viewers want more “survey says” and less insight and conversation?
Those are big “what if” questions to consider, because at what point does the balance between content and promotion begin to shift? There’s a reason sports radio stations traditionally save game shows and novelty programming for slower periods on the sports calendar.
Again, I’m simply asking the questions.
The Start of Something More…
The much larger elephant in the room is whether this is a one-off early summer stunt or the beginning of something much bigger.
ESPN already maintains a significant relationship with DraftKings, which serves as the network’s official odds provider and sportsbook. Viewers see betting lines and odds integrated into ESPN programming every day. The ESPN app prominently displays money lines and totals alongside scores and schedules. The corporate explanation is simple: these integrations enhance the viewing experience.
But are we merely at the beginning of opening Pandora’s box?
Maybe that’s the real significance of ‘Progrum Feud.’ It’s not about whether the NFL Live crew beats Pat McAfee’s crew, or vice versa. It’s not even about whether viewers wager a few dollars on the outcome. Moreover, it’s about testing how much farther sports programming can blur the line between content, promotion, wagering, and participation.
For years, gambling companies sponsored segments, purchased ad inventory, and integrated odds into broadcasts. Then came branded content. Then came alternate telecasts, betting-focused shows, and real-time odds appearing alongside highlights.
Now we’re arriving at a place where the studio programming itself becomes the betting market.
If ‘Progrum Feud’ succeeds, it won’t be because of who wins the game. It’ll be because it proves audiences are willing to engage with sports media in an entirely new way. Maybe next Thursday is a harmless one-off summer stunt. Or maybe it’s the first glimpse of where the industry is headed.
The answers won’t be revealed on the survey board. They’ll be revealed in the ratings, the engagement numbers, and whether ESPN decides to do it again.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
