Eli Manning confirmed Omaha Productions and ESPN are already planning a ManningCast for ESPN’s first Super Bowl telecast, according to an interview with Front Office Sports. “That will be new for us. Very exciting,” the two-time Super Bowl MVP said about broadcasting the Big Game of 2027, which is set to air on ESPN and ABC.
Since its 2021 launch, the ManningCast, hosted by Eli and his brother Peyton Manning, received praise for its A-list guests, big social/clip potential, and secured three Sports Emmy Awards. Eli told Front Office Sports the ManningCast’s “secret sauce” is unscripted, personality-driven conversations, combined with on-air chemistry, which often produces viral moments.
In the interview, the younger Manning confirmed Omaha will begin serious Super Bowl planning as soon as the current season ends. The Giants legend also specifically called out his “white whale” of dream guests: Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld, and Tiger Woods. Additionally, Omaha EP Sam Pepper’s personal wish-list includes Pope Leo XIV (Bears fan), Julia Roberts (49ers fan), plus star power heavyweights Shaquille O’Neal, Denzel Washington, and Jamie Foxx.
ManningCast Success & the Rise of the AltCast
It wasn’t the first, but the ManningCast turned alternate telecasts into a legitimate format rather than a one‑off gimmick. The ManningCast has matured into a marquee altcast and has become a staple of ESPN’s Monday Night Football. The brothers and their guests stream on ESPN’s direct-to-consumer app and are a core part of its ecosystem.
Since its debut, ESPN and Omaha have expanded the alternate presentation to other sports, including UFC, college football, and golf, with different hosts. Other streamers and networks have got in on the action by adapting their own formats.
Peacock has aggressively expanded its enhanced features and alternate experiences around big events. Next month, the streamer has a stacked slate of immersive and curated features for NBC Sports coverage of the upcoming Winter Olympics, Super Bowl LX, and the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend. Rinkside Live, Courtside Live, and daily Olympics Picks are a few of Peacock’s latest feeds and interactive additions for February’s biggest events.
Over the years, Amazon’s Prime Video has continued to enhance its NFL live efforts with technical innovations that have led to numerous Sports Emmy nods. With altcasts becoming part of the normal viewing experience, the tech giant has continued to invest in production value, exclusives, and experiments, including AI/feature enhancements. The alternate Thursday Night Football Prime Vision with Next Gen Stats broadcast was awarded a Sports Emmy in 2023 for Outstanding Interactive Experience.
For the Super Bowl, the Manning brothers won’t be the first to provide viewers with an alternate telecast. Slime poured down as CBS/Nickelodeon produced the NFL’s first Super Bowl altcast in 2024, proving there’s an appetite for different viewing experiences. For all of its telecasts, that game was a streaming juggernaut on Paramount+, generating 2.64 billion minutes streamed on Paramount+.
Now with Super Bowl LXI a little over a year away, the NFL and its recent content agreements with ESPN could bring a one-of-a-kind layered offering to the ESPN app. The platform has streamed various MegaCast presentations, which feature multiple feeds, alternate angles, specialized data, interactivity, and more key integrations. With a ManningCast for the NFL’s championship game in Los Angeles, ESPN can cross the goal line with a ratings and engagement winner with or without the white whales.
Planning for the big event won’t begin until after this year’s Super Bowl, according to Pepper. The Omaha EP told FOS that there isn’t anything “definitive in the works,” but he’s sure that they “will have something super-special for everybody.”
For cord cutters, in 2027, the Super Bowl experience on ESPN’s app could look very different from the traditional broadcast, with multiple streams, alternate commentary, interactive features, and a pair of two-time Super Bowl MVPs all living in one place.
Credit: Front Office Sports