{
  "id": 13189612,
  "title": "Jim Nantz set for ManningCast debut during Bills-Rams",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/jim-nantz-set-for-manningcast-debut-during-bills-rams",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-09T19:30:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/jim-nantz-set-manningcast-debut-193028090.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Jim Nantz, whose voice has been a constant during many of Peyton Manning's most significant games, is set to make his debut as a ManningCast commentator on Monday. This appearance will be Nantz's first alongside his own sons, Peyton and Eli Manning, as they face off against the Buffalo Bills and St. Louis Rams on ESPN2. According to Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal, Peyton Manning personally arranged this booking, allowing him to personally invite the renowned CBS play-by-play commentator while Joe Buck and Troy Aikman take charge of the main broadcast on ESPN and ABC. Nantz's appearance comes after a Sunday assignment in Pittsburgh, where he will call the Colts-Steelers game alongside J.J. Watt and Tracy Wolfson. This comes as CBS is going through a tumultuous period, with Tony Romo's seat being taken over by Joe Watt after the network dismissed Romo following his July OWI arrest in Milwaukee. CBS finalized the personnel changes on October 2nd, entrusting Watt with the analyst chair for the rest of the season. The Athletic's Andrew Marchand and Mark Puleo have reported that Romo and CBS reached a financial settlement, with around $72 million remaining on the 10-year, $180 million deal he signed in 2020, making him the highest-paid analyst in sports television at the time. Nantz is joining a group of experienced broadcasters who have taken on the role of ManningCast commentators, including the legendary Al Michaels, who hosted a Rams-49ers ManningCast in November 2021 while under contract with NBC. Buck, Aikman, and Collinsworth have also appeared on the show, each contributing unique perspectives and humor to the broadcasts. This season, the ManningCast has been drawing its smallest audiences since its inception in September 2021. Marchand revealed that the Broncos-Chiefs premiere drew just 705,000 viewers on ESPN2, which is about 3% of the game's 23.2 million total audience, while the Giants-Rams game saw even lower numbers at 661,000, marking the lowest figure in the show's history. The decline in viewership has prompted discussions about the need for fewer guests and more focus on the Manning brothers themselves. Nantz's presence in the booth may provide a boost to the ratings, as his experience and reputation could help draw more viewers to the show.",
  "summary": "Jim Nantz, whose voice has accompanied several of the biggest nights of Peyton Manning’s career, will make his first ManningCast appearance Monday when Peyton and Eli Manning take on Bills-Rams for ESPN2. According to Sports Business Journal’s Austin Karp, Peyton arranged the booking himself, extending the invitation directly to the longtime CBS play-by-play voice while…",
  "key_points": [
    "Jim Nantz to debut as ManningCast commentator on Monday",
    "Peyton Manning personally arranged Nantz's booking",
    "Nantz joins experienced broadcasters like Al Michaels"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}