Ryan Clark, Karl Ravech and others laid off by ESPN
A wave of layoffs has hit ESPN, with numerous on-air personalities departing as the network makes significant talent cuts.
NFL insider Tom Pelissero was not on the job market for long.
The former NFL Network insider who was part of the on-air talent purge by ESPN last month is joining Netflix as a sideline reporter for the streaming service’s five games this season, the company announced Monday, Aug. 17. Pelissero’s first assignment will be the Week 1 matchup from Australia between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers.
In addition to the game work, Pelissero will join The Ringer NFL Show as a co-host and contribute weekly to The Bill Simmons Podcast. Netflix and The Ringer, the sports and pop culture site founded by Bill Simmons and now owned by Spotify, reached a licensing deal in which the video versions of some podcasts are available to watch exclusively on Netflix.
Pelissero had multiple suitors for his services, including Prime Video and Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football” package, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person was granted anonymity to speak freely about Pelissero’s decision.
Netflix poached former ESPN host Elle Duncan to be the streamer’s host extraordinaire for its tentpole events. Pelissero marks another hiring as the company expands its sports reach.
Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Luke Kuechly (color commentator) and MJ Acosta-Ruiz (reporter) will work games for the company.
Netflix NFL schedule
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