Netflix finally revealed what Elle Duncan will actually be doing when she starts next month. And it’s not exactly the traditional debut for someone hired to become the face of the streaming giant’s sports programming.
The streaming service announced Thursday that Duncan’s first assignment will be hosting Skyscraper Live in early 2026, a live event featuring free solo climber Alex Honnold attempting to scale Taipei 101, one of the world’s tallest buildings.
“Joining Netflix feels like being invited to an already legendary party and somehow getting handed the aux cord,” Duncan said in the announcement. “For a lifelong utility player, a multi-sport assignment is a full-circle moment, and being trusted with something this one-of-a-kind feels incredibly special and surreal.”
Duncan left ESPN earlier this week after nearly a decade at the network, where she hosted the 6 p.m. SportsCenter alongside Kevin Negandhi and led studio coverage for women’s basketball and the WNBA. Her final broadcast on Tuesday turned into one of the bigger send-offs you’ll see, complete with an emotional defense of ESPN against outside criticism.
“Elle Duncan’s proven ability to seamlessly move between hard-hitting sports analysis and warm, personality-driven cultural hosting makes her a perfect fit at Netflix,” said Gabe Spitzer, Netflix’s vice president of sports. “She immediately adds credibility and familiar star power to our global programming slate.”
Duncan’s hire represents a step forward for Netflix as it builds out permanent sports infrastructure. Until now, the streamer has relied on leasing talent from networks like ESPN, which has reportedly become increasingly reluctant to provide talent to a direct competitor. Bringing Duncan on full-time means Netflix is serious about establishing its own sports identity.
For now, Duncan gets to kick things off with something completely different from anything she did in Bristol. Hosting a guy climbing a 1,667-foot skyscraper in Taipei isn’t the traditional path for a sports anchor making a big career move. But nothing about Netflix’s sports strategy has been traditional so far.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.