ESPN Launches NBA ‘Alterna-Cast’ Led by Stephen A. Smith (EXCLUSIVE)

Brian Steinberg
·4 min read
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Stephen A. Smith has found time to take on yet another job for ESPN.

The “First Take” commentator and “NBA Countdown” analyst will tackle the increasingly in-demand job of hosting an alternative broadcast for some of ESPN’s NBA games, the latest effort by the sports-media giant to generate new audiences for the games it shows thanks to pricey rights deals with big sports leagues.

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When Smith debuts the first of four scheduled “NBA in Stephen A’s World” shows on October 26, he intends to give NBA fans a look at how he watches sports. Viewers will see “a very relaxed format,” he tells Variety in an interview, that will put a spotlight on “how I watch a game, the kind of things that I pay attention to, the kind of things I talk about when I’m just sitting around talking to family and friends.” He will bring on high-profile guests from the world of sports, entertainment, and media.

The new show, slated to appear on ESPN2 and ESPN+, is the latest in a series of so-called “alterna-casts” ESPN has developed to stand alongside “Monday Night Football”; Major League Baseball games; college-football games; golf; and UFC matches, Those efforts, the bulk produced by Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions, have struck a chord, particularly with a “ManningCast” that has Peyton and his brother Eli talk about the Monday football contest in a very loose, conversational manner.

Finding ways to keep live audiences tuning in for sports is a top mission for the leagues and the TV networks that pay out billions to broadcast their games. As more traditional TV viewers migrate to streaming video, the National Football League, Major League Baseball and other sports entities are encouraging sports networks to experiment with sideline broadcasts that aim for important niche audiences. There is even some thought that the new formats might help grow the appeal of various sports to viewers who might not watch under ordinary circumstances. Amazon’s success this season with “Thursday Night Football” — and the NFL’s decision to create a new Friday-night game after Thanksgiving for the streamer — is a clear indication that younger audiences crave new ways to engage with their favorite sports.

Will Smith’s NBA edition be more kinetic, emotional, and unfiltered than those programs?

“All of the above,” he replies. “I don’t think that anybody who has watched those shows should anticipate that they will see me doing anything remotely like them when it comes to how I watch a game.”

“NBA in Stephen A’s World” is produced by Smith’s own SAS Productions and Omaha, with ESPN, Smith and Peyton Manning all co-executive producing, The show comes as something of a surprise. In February, the Manning brothers and ESPN agreed to extend the current deal for the “ManningCast” through the NFL’s 2024 season. Omaha has enlisted Joe Buck for golf, Pat McAfee for college football and Rob Gronkowski and his family for UFC bouts.

But no one talked about basketball. People familiar with the matter said ESPN approached Smith and Omaha with a request to tailor the “alterna-cast” format to NBA play. Smith said he jumped at the chance, since an earlier effort to broaden his conversations beyond sports, “Stephen A’s World,” an interview show built for ESPN+, had to be scaled back to accommodate Smith’s “NBA Countdown” duties. He also hosts a podcast, “Know Mercy,” that lets him opine on topics outside the world of sports.

Smith and guests aren’t likely to get off topic, however, he says. “You’ll see people who are fans of the sport who are relatively popular coming in to talk about the sport. That’s what it will be about.”

There’s some room for surprise. The October 26 debut episode will include live coverage from the red carpet of Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” premiere, showing that larger efforts tied to corporate parent Disney still hold some sway.

Smith will host three other editions of the show in 2022: on November 2, on December 2 and on Christmas Day. The program  will originate from ESPN television studios in New York or Los Angeles, with a set designed to look like Smith’s home “man cave” viewing room, with multiple TV sets and video feeds.

Will there be more in 2023? Smith says he, ESPN and Omaha will have to examine the NBA’s schedule early next year to determine what he might be able to do.

ESPN’s launch of the new Smith show marks the latest signal of intent by the NBA’s two big media rights holders to stay with the league into the future, particularly with renewal talks expected to ramp up. The NBA’s current rights deals with Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney are slated to lapse after the 2024-2025 season. Earlier this week, Warner Bros. Discovery indicated it had signed new deals with most of the members of it’s the company’s signature “Inside the NBA” program, including Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal among others.

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