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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.
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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.
