Scott Hanson isn’t going anywhere.
There’s a lot changing amid the pioneering deal between ESPN and NFL Media that was announced Tuesday evening ahead of Disney’s earnings call. Game broadcasts are changing hands, the Worldwide Leader will oversee the NFL’s cable network, and there will be a ton of shared content across the two companies’ platforms.
ESPN will even take ownership of the beloved NFL RedZone channel, with Sunday whiparound coverage of all the games.
One thing that won’t be changing, however, is the host of RedZone. Hanson will be on-air Week 1 and for the foreseeable future as the face of the show he has hosted since its inception in 2009.
Hanson confirmed the news Tuesday evening on X when ESPN announced its deal with NFL Media, writing that he will be back as RedZone host and is “optimistic about this new partnership.”
It’s official.
(& for those wondering: yes, I will still be hosting RedZone.)Fired up for a great season! Optimistic about this new partnership!
(& I get to call @AdamSchefter “colleague” for the 2nd time in my career… nice bonus!) https://t.co/Mh5BP0VRXR
— Scott Hanson (@ScottHanson) August 6, 2025
Just this past May, Hanson negotiated a new contract with NFL Network to return as RedZone host. Given that the NFL and ESPN were already in talks then, it would have been a shock for any party to make a change to Hanson’s role once the deal went through.
Plus, despite all the attention paid to the NFL-ESPN deal this week, it won’t go through until after the upcoming season. So none of the personnel and structural changes will come until the 2026 season at the earliest.
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.