ESPN and Fox Sports seem to believe Peyton Manning can boost ratings from the broadcast booth on their respective NFL packages next season. The two networks are willing to fork over $10 million per year for Manning's services, according to the Sporting News.
If true, Manning would be the highest-paid NFL analyst in history. ESPN previously paid Jon Gruden $6.5 million per year to call "Monday Night Football."
There's little evidence that suggests announcers can draw viewers to an event for any extended period of time. Tony Romo serves as proof of this. His commentary was roundly praised last year, and the even the subject of a New York Times profile. Yet, NFL ratings on CBS were down, just like every other network. Viewership for "Thursday Night Football" fell by roughly 1.5 million viewers in 2017, even though Romo called a significant portion of the schedule.
It's apparent Fox is targeting Manning for its new TNF package. The New York Post's Andrew Marchand reports Fox's dream scenario includes placing Troy Aikman on the pregame and Manning in the booth alongside Joe Buck, in order to give each game a big-time feel. Aikman would continue to call the network's featured game of the week with Buck on Sunday.
Fox paid the NFL $550 million to carry TNF for five years, despite the event's falling ratings. That exorbitant figure is a reminder that all discussion of the NFL's ratings struggles is relative. The league still outdraws virtually everything else on television. In 2017, NFL games accounted for 37 of the year's top 50 shows.
The perception of NFL ratings is worse than the reality. ESPN would be wise to keep that in mind in its pursuit of Manning as well. MNF, despite seeing viewership tumble again, was the No. 1 show on cable TV last fall.
Still, ESPN pays the NFL $1.1 billion per year to broadcast MNF. It's understandable if the WorldWide Leader wants to replace Gruden with a massive star. Manning is the biggest name out there, and as Romo proved last season, rookie announcers can thrive when placed in big spots. Manning, one of the country's most ubiquitous pitchmen, certainly has a lot of TV experience.
But outside of some early-season intrigue, Manning likely won't draw additional viewers to the game. At the end of the day, it's all about the product. ESPN and Fox need Peyton Manning to play quarterback again, not sit behind a microphone.
