Peyton Manning Is Building A Billion-Dollar Media Company
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Peyton Manning Is Building A Billion-Dollar Media Company
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Friends,
When Peyton Manning left the NFL in 2016, he had plenty of options in retirement.
The Hall of Fame quarterback could have taken a coaching job on any team he wanted. He could have signed a nine-figure broadcasting deal, like Tom Brady’s $375 million agreement with Fox. Or he could have sat back and relaxed, enjoying his $250 million in career earnings without adding any additional stress to his life.
But Manning didn’t do any of those things. Instead, the 2-time Super Bowl Champion has taken on another challenge: Building a billion-dollar sports media company.
Omaha Productions, named after Manning’s infamous audible call, has become one of the hottest companies in sports. The production company works with ESPN, Netflix, the NFL, and many others in the audio and video space. And if you are even a casual sports fan, you have unknowingly seen much of their content over the last few years.
Truth be told, Peyton Manning didn’t know what he wanted to do upon retirement. I mean, who does? He had spent his entire life, from childhood to age 39, solely focused on becoming the absolute best football player he possibly could.
But as Manning started getting involved in various media projects post-retirement, he received a timely pitch. In 2020, WME superagent Josh Pyatt and sports media executive Jamie Horowitz flew to Denver and presented Manning with a new idea.
Pyatt had helped LeBron James and Kobe Bryant build their respective media companies, SpringHill and Granity. And he thought Manning’s fame and charisma allowed him to build something similar in the sports entertainment space.
Manning was hesitant, according to Pyatt. He was enjoying time at home with his family and wasn’t sure what level of commitment he was ready to give to a new project. But Manning had also recently started working on a show for ESPN called Peyton’s Places, which he enjoyed, and Pyatt assured him he could be as involved as he wanted to in the new company — whether that was 1% or 100%.
So Manning agreed, and Omaha Productions was born. The first and most popular project was a partnership with ESPN to launch the ManningCast, a new alternative broadcast focused more on friendly banter than complex play-by-play analysis.
The idea was simple. Many broadcasters were working from home during the pandemic, and Manning/ESPN thought a younger generation of fans who grew up on personality-based content would fall in love with a more fun and relaxed analysis.
And they were right. Peyton Manning and his brother Eli built studios in their garages and broadcasted a few Monday Night Football games each of the last two seasons. They had rotating guests each episode, like Tom Brady, Barack Obama, Snoop Dogg, Dwayne Johnson, and LeBron James, and it was a smashing success.
The first season averaged 1.6 million viewers, while the second averaged 1.3 million viewers. But more importantly, the average ManningCast viewer is six years younger than the main Monday Night Football broadcast viewer.
The success of the ManningCast wasn’t an accident. The Manning family is football royalty — and combining Peyton and Eli Manning’s national media debut with Monday Night Football would always command some level of viewership.
But the more impressive part is what happened next. The ManningCast has helped turn Omaha Productions into one of the world’s fastest-growing media properties.
They have applied the same ManningCast model to College Football (with Pat McAfee), the NBA (with Stephen A.), the UFC (with Rob Gronkowski), the PGA (with Joe Buck & Mcihael Collins), and Formula 1 (with Daniel Ricciardo & Will Arnett).
Omaha Productions is also behind several Netflix shows, like Quarterback and King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch. They have done commercials for Caesars Entertainment and the 2024 Paris Olympics. They have launched new versions of ESPN+’s Places franchise with Abby Wambach, Vince Carter, David Ortiz, and Ronda Rousey. And they even worked on this year’s NFL Honors show and the ESPYs.
And don’t forget about Omaha’s podcast network, either. The company has built an impressive network of at least 15+ shows, including deals with popular sports personalities like Mina Kimes, Kyle Brandt, Bob Myers, and Cam Heyward.
Omaha Production Credits
The ManningCast (including alternative broadcasts with other hosts for college football, golf, and the UFC)
Quarterback on Netflix
King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch on Netflix
The NFL Honors
ESPN+’s PLACES franchise with Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Abby Wambach, Vince Carter, David Ortiz, Ronda Rousey, P.K. Subban, Sue Bird and John McEnroe
The NFL Pro Bowl Games
The NFL Pro Bowl Games
Walter Payton Man of the Year with Nationwide
Caesars Sportsbook (commercials & content)
History’s Greatest of All Time with Peyton Manning on A&E
King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch on Netflix
On The Clock on ESPN+
The ESPYs
Omaha is making a lot of money, too. The newly formed company already has 40+ employees. They probably do between $30 million to $50 million in annual revenue (based on industry-standard multiples), and they received a $10 million investment from media mogul Peter Chernin that valued the company at over $400 million.
Remember, Peter Chernin started the Chernin Group, a multi-stage investment firm that invested in companies like Barstool Sports, Oura, FOOD52, and Crunchyroll.
Omaha Productions Overview
Founded in 2020
Named after Peyton Manning’s “Omaha” audible call
Headquartered in Los Angeles with 40+ employees
$400 million-plus valuation based on recent investments
Now, Omaha Productions is only a few years old, and there is unquestionably a lot of work to be done. But I don’t see any reason why Omaha can’t be a $1 billion-plus company. Streaming services are acquiring unscripted sports content at a premium, and Omaha’s close relationship with ESPN provides them with a unique advantage.
Manning also spends significantly more time on the company than he previously imagined. And considering he probably still owns a significant chunk of the company, Manning could make more money on this deal than his entire NFL career ($250 million).
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I hope everyone has a great day. We’ll talk on Wednesday.
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Huddle Up is a 3x weekly newsletter that breaks down the business and money behind sports. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and join 100,000+ others who receive it directly in their inbox each week.