The Future of Sports & Live Broadcasts Is In "Alterna-casts"

I used to love listening to football games on the local radio. Unlike the national broadcasts for NFL games, the hosts on the radio were from my region and were clearly cheering for the same team as me. They were biased and unconcerned about remaining neutral in how they described the game or reported on what were clearly bad referee judgements when they went against us.

It's a different experience of watching a game and for years that was pretty much the only other option. Watch the neutral national television broadcast or listen to the game with your people. Now on broadcast TV, one of the hottest trends taking off is so-called "alterna-casts" where they are taking a similar idea even further. This week ​ESPN launched "Courtside"​ in time for the Women's College Basketball Final Four tournament. This will include four hosts sitting courtside offering a more "immersive" experience for fans.

Perhaps the most popular example of this model is an alterna-cast launched back in 2021 featuring the former NFL quarterback Manning brothers (Peyton and Eli) offering a ​remix of their own coverage​ for Monday Night Football games that was described as a cross between a zoom call and hanging out with buddies watching the game at a bar:

Despite all the attention, the brothers don’t go in for anything fancy, in either setup or presentation. They talk over each other. They barely acknowledge when the show must stop for a commercial break. Guests like Dwayne Johnson get to talk about their love of football, tequila investments and upcoming movie projects — and even a T-Rex skull replica on display in the background — without the slightest pressure to dig deeper. When the Mannings signed off after a Wild Card game not too long ago, they did so without the faintest whiff of TV-hosting skills. “Bye!” yelled Peyton. Neither of them told viewers to stay tuned to watch late-night ESPN mainstay Scott Van Pelt on “SportsCenter.”

This is the golden age for a new idea that is increasingly being applied and commercialized by network TV for all sorts of live programs perhaps beyond sports too. Insiders believe the future of the Oscars, Grammys, World Cup and many other events could include this same alterna-casting idea to broaden the fan appeal for events and offer a more personalized experience. What we all give up is the same thing that has disappeared thanks to streaming media -- a shared entertainment experience. As this continues to happen, I wonder if we are losing something here, or is it just a better experience for everyone?