‘SportsCenter’ host Elle Duncan leaves ESPN for Netflix
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- After nearly a decade at ESPN, “SportsCenter” anchor Elle Duncan is leaving the network to become Netflix’s lead host for its expanding sports coverage.
- Duncan, 42, hosted her final “SportsCenter” appearance Wednesday, having anchored the flagship show alongside appearances on “WNBA Countdown” and “College GameDay.”
- Netflix’s sports portfolio includes NFL games on Christmas Day, MLB events, and major boxing competitions.
ESPN veteran Elle Duncan is leaving the network next year to become the lead host for Netflix Sports.
The streamer announced Thursday that Duncan will be the signature talent for its growing roster of live sports events. She will make her Netflix debut next year with Skyscraper Live, where free solo climber Alex Honnold will attempt to scale Taipei 101, the tallest building in Taiwan.
Duncan, 42, had her final “SportsCenter” appearance Wednesday. In addition to ESPN’s flagship show, she appeared on “WNBA Countdown” and “College GameDay.” She joined ESPN in 2016.
Duncan will be a familiar face to sports fans, some of whom are still adapting to watching sports on a streaming platform.
“Elle Duncan’s proven ability to seamlessly move between hard-hitting sports analysis and warm, personality-driven cultural hosting makes her a perfect fit at Netflix,” Gabe Spitzer, vice president for sports at Netflix, said in a statement. “She immediately adds credibility and familiar star power to our global programming slate.”
The CBS telecast averaged 57.2 million viewers. Fox’s early Thanksgiving reached a new high as well.
Netflix has been expanding its portfolio of live sporting events, including a new deal with Major League Baseball that gives the streamer the right to the season opener, the Home Run Derby and the Field of Dreams game for the next three years.
The company also has a double header of NFL games on Christmas Day and has been the platform for a number of boxing events, including the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford super middleweight bout in September.
The streamer also became the exclusive video home for podcasts from Barstool Sports, the bro-centric digital media company led by Dave Portnoy. The video versions of “Pardon My Take,” “The Ryen Russillo Podcast,” and “Spittin’ Chiclets” will stream on Netflix starting next year.
