ESPN never managed to lure Peyton Manning as its top NFL game analyst after years of aggressive pursuit, but the network’s production deal with Manning’s Omaha Productions has become far more expansive than a traditional announcer contract.
As reports swirl that Pat McAfee is negotiating a new contract with the Worldwide Leader worth as much as $60 million annually, new details of the lucrative Omaha-ESPN partnership have also emerged.
In an episode of his Marchand Sports Media podcast, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand added context to reports of McAfee’s talks with ESPN, revealed that the network already pays Omaha a figure in the range of McAfee’s looming payday. The info shows just how strongly ESPN has invested in its long-term deal with Omaha, which produces podcasts and digital series for the network, while also underscoring the precedent for a massive contract like the one it is seemingly set to give McAfee.
“I think Peyton Manning is in that neighborhood, too,” Marchand said. “We don’t know Peyton Manning’s exact numbers, but he’s high up there with Omaha Productions. They’re getting a lot of money.”
Later in the show, Marchand noted that Omaha works on more total projects than McAfee and his show’s crew do, while McAfee hosts a daily show that airs for two hours on ESPN and is a panelist on College GameDay.
“(Omaha has) to deliver, with podcasts and shows, et cetera, and the ManningCast for Monday Night Football,” Marchand said.
Omaha produces video podcasts for several top ESPN talent, including Brian Windhorst, Mina Kimes and Scott Van Pelt, in addition to ManningCast alt-casts on Monday nights for roughly ten weeks each season. The Manning-founded Omaha has also produced several shows for ESPN platforms, including NFL Honors, the ESPYs, and several other alt-casts and docuseries.
The partnership between Omaha and the Worldwide Leader goes through 2034.
Like Manning and Omaha, McAfee produces his daily show in-house, along with his annual NFL Draft show and other special broadcasts, more of which have moved over to ESPN over the past three years of his deal there.
The dollar value of ESPN’s deals with McAfee and Manning is historic, but clearly signals a sea change in how a traditional media company might pay up to craft broader partnerships with star talent who have aspirations in production and creative development in addition to on-air work.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.