• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, January 15, 2025

MegaCast to ManningCast: Alt Broadcasts Are Changing How We Watch Sports

  • The MegaCast is an annual staple of the College Football Playoff.
  • Other sports are embracing the alternate telecast idea to reach new viewers.
Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

When ESPN’s MegaCast approach to college football’s national championship game began in January 2014, the sports media landscape was vastly different. Most of today’s streaming services had not yet launched, nor had cable channels like the ACC and SEC networks.

Now a staple of the College Football Playoff (Monday’s game will have 11 different presentations, from Pat McAfee on the field to the Skycam view from above), ESPN’s MegaCast paved the way for today’s booming trend of multiple broadcasts covering a single sporting event.

Of course, the ManningCast of Monday Night Football has gained significant praise, but other successful efforts extend into sports betting and advanced stats, even reaching younger audiences with cartoon animations of popular movies and TV shows. Next month, the Super Bowl will have its first-ever alternate telecast on Nickelodeon, featuring SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer, among other characters.

“Sports fans are not a homogeneous group that can be well-served by a single, vanilla telecast,” sports media expert Ed Desser, a former exec with the NBA, tells Front Office Sports. Not only do alternate feeds help sports broadcasters reach new and different types of audiences, Desser points out, but they also bring in the potential for new ad revenue.

You may remember some of the most notable alt-casts to date:

  • ManningCast (debuted in 2021)
  • NFL Nickmas (2022)
  • Nickelodeon’s Super Wild Card Game (2022)
  • Toy Story Funday Football (2023)
  • NHL Big City Greens Classic (2023)
  • The Bird & Taurasi Show (part of the 2022 women’s Final Four MegaCast)
  • NBA Hoopervision (2022)
  • TNF in The Shop (2022)

From Disney’s Toy Story-themed NFL broadcast to Amazon’s weekly Prime Vision With Next Stats feed alongside Thursday Night Football to an array of team-focused options, like what the Los Angeles Clippers offer through their streaming service, choosing a telecast other than the main feed can be daunting. But will every big sporting event eventually yield a MegaCast?

“For any one game, there is a natural limit,” Desser says, “because you get to a world of diminishing returns. But I think what’s likely to happen is that there will be more events that have multicasts, even if the number of individual feeds doesn’t continue to grow astronomically.”

On Monday night, at least, CFP viewers will have their pick, and then some.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard (18) yells instructions to his team during the College Football Playoff semifinal game against the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium on Friday, Jan. 10, 2024 in Arlington, Texas.

CFP Semifinals TV Ratings Drop 17% in 12-Team Format’s First Year

This year’s semifinal games averaged 19.2 million viewers on ESPN.
Dec 31, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin leads his players onto the field prior to the game against the Boise State Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium.

Can College Football Playoff Maintain Ratings Momentum?

The Notre Dame–Penn State Orange Bowl is Thursday night.
Dec 12, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels new head coach Bill Belichick speaks to those attending his hiring announcement at Loudermilk Center for Excellence.

UNC Job Brings an End to Belichick’s Short-Lived Media Career

Bill Belichick had six media jobs this football season.

Featured Today

Race leader and eventual stage winner Primož ROGLIČ (SVN/RedBull-Bora-Hansgrohe) in the final kilometer up the finish climb of stage 19 from Logroño to Alto De Moncalvillo (ESP/168km) of the 79th La Vuelta Ciclista a España 2024 on 6 September. // Kristof Ramon / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202409060905 // Usage for editorial use only //Primož ROGLIČ (SVN/RedBull-Bora-Hansgrohe) congratulated by teammate Florian LIPOWITZ (DEU/RedBull - BORA - hansgrohe) after a very strong stage 13 from Lugo to Puerto De Ancares (ESP/171km) of the 79th La Vuelta Ciclista a España 2024 on 30 August

Red Bull Is on a Hot Streak in Sports. Can It Win..

The company is betting on a big future in cycling.
Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Jack Sawyer (33) knocks the ball out of the hands of Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) and returns the fumble for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Cotton Bowl Classic during the College Football Playoff semifinal game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on January, 10, 2025.
January 11, 2025

College Football Is Closer Than Ever to Perfecting the Championship Process

Despite valid criticisms, the first expanded Playoff is working.
Jan 2, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman (R) reacts on the sidelines in the final minute against the Georgia Bulldogs during the fourth quarter at Caesars Superdome.
January 9, 2025

Amid Realignment Mania, Notre Dame Stayed Independent. It Paid Off

How the CFP semifinal-bound Fighting Irish made their business model work.
Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrates a first-down catch against Oregon during the 2025 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
January 3, 2025

The Biggest Changes to College Sports Are Coming in 2025

Sweeping developments could affect the college sports foundation this year.
Nov 26, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; NBA on TNT television analyst Reggie Miller (left) and Kevin Harlan during the Los Angeles Lakers against the Phoenix Suns during an NBA Cup game at Footprint Center.

Kevin Harlan Nearing Deal to Join Amazon NBA Coverage

The announcer is in talks to join Ian Eagle on Prime Video.
January 14, 2025

DirecTV Launches MySports Package, Expands on Failed Venu Sports

DirecTV’s MySports package expands on Venu Sports but skips key players.
January 14, 2025

Don’t Call It a Comeback, but Reds Have Returned to RSN

The regional sports network operator reaches another revised MLB club rights agreement.
Sponsored

How UBS Crafts Impactful Partnerships Across Sports, Arts, and Culture

As UBS continues to expand its impressive array of sports and entertainment partnerships, the company solidifies its position as a leader in wealth management.
"The Miz” jumps off the top rope during the Intercontinental Title Match with “The Ring General” Gunther at "WWE Monday Night Raw" at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
January 14, 2025

WWE Plots NBC Primetime Special Against Competitor AEW’s Summer Pay-Per-View

AEW was launched by Tony Khan, the son of Jaguars owner Shad Khan.
Packers fans watch as the 49ers celebrate one of their touchdowns on a giant TV screen at Mecca Sports Bar and Grill on Jan. 19, 2020.
January 13, 2025

Venu Sports Is Dead, but Its Skinny Bundle Blueprint Powers On

The discontinued streaming service will reach the market in a different way.
A Fox Sports camera broadcasts during the NCAA football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Indiana Hoosiers at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. Ohio State won 38-15.
January 13, 2025

Fox Sports Lawsuit Complicates Network’s Super Bowl Plans

Fox should “cut a deal” to settle toxic workplace lawsuit, says a crisis PR expert.
Nov 16, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; General view of a Fox Sports end zone broadcast camera before the game between the Utah Utes against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field.
opinion
January 11, 2025

Fox’s Terrible Week: Harassment Lawsuit, Venu Cancellation

Fox Sports was in the news for all the wrong reasons this week.