• Loading stock data...
Monday, September 15, 2025
One Day till Tuned In! Get a Last Second Ticket!
exclusive
Tuned In

Exclusive: Scott Hanson Free Agent in 2025, Could Leave NFL RedZone

  • Hanson’s current deal expires after the 2024 NFL season.
  • NFL Media has made cuts this year amidst equity and partnership talks.
hanson_smiling
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Can you imagine the NFL RedZone without Scott Hanson? Soon, you may have to.

Hanson’s contract with NFL Media, which he signed in 2021, expires after the upcoming season, Front Office Sports has learned. The high-energy host could draw lucrative offers from NFL broadcast partners such as NBC Sports, Fox Sports, ESPN or Amazon Prime Video. YouTube TV is also an option, as it could use Hanson’s appeal to sell more “Sunday Ticket” subscriptions. 

The 53-year-old’s profile exploded this summer after he served as lead host for NBC Sports’ Gold Zone coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Replicating the live whiparound style of NFLN’s RedZone, Gold Zone was the breakout hit of NBC/Peacock’s Olympics coverage. As John Green, bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars, tweeted: “I’ve taken a lot of drugs in my life but I’ve never taken a drug like Peacock’s Olympic Gold Zone. What a rush.” 

Hanson got so excited narrating highlights from Paris that he cut his hand while banging it on his desk. Molly Solomon, executive producer and president of NBC Olympics production, was asked about utilizing Hanson in future coverage, including the 2026 Winter Games in Milan and 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

“Scott brought his inimitable enthusiasm and energy to Gold Zone. NFL fans loved watching him transfer his ‘all-in’ mentality from football Sundays to the Paris Olympics,” Solomon told Front Office Sports in a statement.  “Each of our four hosts brought his own unique personality to the show, and Scott was certainly a key contributor to our process of re-imagining how Gold Zone could be experienced and consumed going forward.”

On an NFL press call in August, Hanson said he appreciated NFL Media giving him a chance to cover his first Olympics this summer. “It was an amazing experience, hosting Gold Zone during the Olympics, and hearing from fans and media critics alike that we have apparently changed the way people watch the Olympics now,” said Hanson. “It’s similar to what people tell me all the time on NFL RedZone for football.”

Starting this Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, Hanson will host his 16th straight season of RedZone. The TV Ironman has hosted every episode since its debut in 2009. That’s over 250 commercial-free telecasts of almost 3,000 games. His NFL Network colleague Peter Schrager likens Hanson’s “Octobox” (where he analyzes eight games at the same time) to “football euphoria.” 

Everybody from Tom Brady to ESPN’s Bob Ley have praised RedZone’s impact on sports coverage. Hanson says he has been told by some fans they can go without sex on Sunday—but not RedZone. Others say if they were allowed only one channel, it would be RedZone. One went so far as to describe Hanson’s mystical ability to dip in and out, at the exact right moment, as the equivalent of God holding the remote control.  

Yes, Hanson leaving NFLN after 18 years seems far-fetched. But anybody who’s paid attention to the myriad talent moves in sports media would say: Never say never. NFL Media has been cutting costs, amid talks about a possible equity deal with ESPN or another partner. Despite the league’s $20 billion-plus in annual revenue, NFLN laid off multiple employees this spring and canceled NFL Total Access, its live weeknight show. Among those pink-slipped were Andrew Siciliano, the longtime host of DirecTV’s now-defunct NFL Red Zone channel, and studio host Melissa Stark.

Meanwhile, ESPN changed hosts for its two NFL pregame shows over the last two off-seasons, naming Mike Greenberg to succeed Samantha Ponder on Sunday NFL Countdown and Scott Van Pelt to replace Suzy Kolber on Monday Night Countdown

NFLN did not answer several emails seeking comment on Hanson.


Michael McCarthy has launched a twice-weekly “Tuned In” newsletter on all things sports media. You can subscribe for free at: gofos.co/3TfQMBg

This month, the column will come to life as a one-day event bringing together industry experts to discuss media trends and the future of fan viewership. The event will take place in New York on Sept. 10 at Times Center (242 W. 41st St.). You can buy tickets here: https://events.frontofficesports.com/tunedin and use the code SOC2024.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

US Open Set Attendance Record, Men’s Final Ratings Surged 82%

Attendance and television viewership of the tennis major again reach historic levels.
Green Bay Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon (25) breaks up a pass intended for Washington Commanders wide receiver Noah Brown (85) on Thursday, September 11, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers won the game, 27-18.

Amazon Shatters Previous Ratings High for 1st NFL Game

“TNF” viewership surges 35% compared to the 2024 season average.

Trump Push to End Quarterly Earnings Has Major Sports Ramifications

U.S. President Trump proposes moving to semi-annual reporting for public companies.

Ken Rosenthal: I Apologized to Photog After Knocking Him Over

Rosenthal backpedaled into the photographer to avoid a Gatorade shower.

Featured Today

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 19: A detailed view of the MLB Debut patch on the jersey of Patrick Monteverde #44 of the Miami Marlins prior to game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 19, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Tiny Jersey Patch at the Center of the MLB Rookie Card..

Autographed cards containing a piece of baseball history have upended the market.
September 11, 2025

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
September 10, 2025

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.
Sep 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills fans react during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium.
September 9, 2025

As Bills Ascend, Their Next Frontier Lies in Canada

Buffalo and the powerful Canadian entity MLSE come together in a new pact.
exclusive

Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman, Rob Dauster to Lead On3’s College Hoops..

Goodman previously worked for ESPN, CBS Sports, and Stadium.
Mark Sanchez
September 12, 2025

Mark Sanchez On Fox ‘Rearview’ Show, Caleb Williams’s Slow Start

Sanchez spoke to FOS about his new Fox digital show.
September 13, 2025

YouTube’s Revised NFL Game Rating Still Has Fox, ESPN Execs Upset 

Adjusted viewership metrics from the streamer reignited debate about the game.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
opinion
September 12, 2025

19 Rising Stars in Sports Media

Who are sports media’s rising stars? Here’s an inside look.
September 11, 2025

Paramount-WBD Merger Would Create Sports Superpower

The companies’ combined sports offerings would rival ESPN.
People congregate at Turning Point Headquarters in Phoenix after news that the founder, Charlie Kirk, was shot and killed at a rally in Utah on Sept. 10, 2025.
September 11, 2025

Panthers Staffer, Suns Reporter Fired for Charlie Kirk Posts

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot in Utah on Wednesday.
exclusive
September 10, 2025

FanDuel TV Renews Michelle Beadle’s ‘Run It Back’

‘Run It Back’ will return for a fourth season.