Peyton Manning’s seamless move into the broadcast and podcast space after his football career has talking heads, well talking.
His latest gig as host for the Olympic Opening Night with Kelly Clarkson and Mike Tirico has been generating plenty of attention.
The Sports Media Podcast spent a whole show talking about which direction Manning should go.
“You look at his post-playing career, and it could not have gone, I don’t think, any better,” said Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones. “It’s planned out as well as can be. He’s a great pitchman with the commercials for Nationwide and Subway and Papa John’s and all that. He has the ManningCast with his brother, Omaha Productions, which is just doing great. But now, he’s taking it to — I think — a new level by being named as one of the co-hosts of the NBC Opening Ceremony host for the Olympics.”
“This is, I think, a really big deal. It takes him in front of an audience that normally doesn’t see him. There’s a lot of sports fans, obviously, who watch the Olympics. But the Opening Ceremonies is sort of a different animal. This is more to use a comparison like a Today Show crowd, kind of just the general TV viewers who’s interested in the Olympics. And so, for him to go there, he’s going to be in front of 16-18 million people…I just think this takes him to a different level.”
SBJ’s Austin Karp added, “I could not agree more that his playing career has been incredibly successful.
“The only thing that I will differ from you on is I don’t see him in a Strahan or Burleson role. I think his lane might be more in sports. But as you said, the Opening Ceremony — I think that’s gonna be the most-watched night of the Paris Olympics…”
From his first foray into the media space, Peyton’s Places documentaries in 2020 he has grown in leaps and bounds and together with brother Eli host one of the most entertaining shows around in the Manningcast.
The former Broncos and Colts Superbowl winner is likely to succeed in any venture, so we say go for it Peyton.
