ESPN is adding a third tailor-made feed to its Super Bowl LXI coverage. Deadline reports that Pat McAfee’s college football “Field Pass” format will come to the NFL title game, airing as one of three alternate telecasts for the big game.
The other two feeds are already familiar: the analytics-led Super Bowl LXI Playbook with Next Gen Stats and the conversation-driven Manningcast. On Super Bowl night, the three will be split across Disney and NFL network real estate.
Where each Super Bowl feed lands
- Field Pass with the Pat McAfee Show — ESPNU
- Super Bowl LXI Playbook with Next Gen Stats — NFL Network
- Manningcast — ESPN2
MNF expansion starts in Week 6
Field Pass is not waiting for February. It will become an alternate telecast for five Monday Night Football games this season, starting with the Washington Commanders against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 6 and finishing in Week 18 on January 9.
McAfee will stay in his field-level position with Dan Orlovsky and Darius Butler. Connor Campbell, Ty Schmit and Tone Digs will contribute from an in-stadium suite.
NFL Network’s MNF Playbook with Next Gen Stats gets an earlier start: it begins in Week 5 with the Buffalo Bills versus the Los Angeles Rams and runs for seven Monday editions.
Why this matters for buyers
Alternate telecasts have moved from gimmick to genuine inventory. ESPN is effectively packaging the same live game three ways: personality-led access, data-led analysis and guest-led conversation. For media planners, that means the Super Bowl audience is no longer one block; it is a set of distinct segments that can be planned against separately.
The move also extends the value of one rights package. By placing Field Pass on ESPNU, Playbook on NFL Network and Manningcast on ESPN2, ESPN and the NFL can use alt-casts to draw viewers to secondary networks and create additional ad environments without producing a new event.
What to do about it
Buyers should ask for audience composition on each feed rather than a combined alt-cast rating. The formats are designed to pull different viewers, so a single average could hide where the high-intent audience actually sits. Early MNF editions in Weeks 5 and 6 are a useful test before the Super Bowl.
Source: Deadline
