Sports TV is a copycat business. It must be satisfying to Mike Greenberg and ESPN that Kay Adams and FanDuel are copying the previously criticized “Get Up” model on FanDuel TV.
Like Greenberg’s “Get Up,” Adams’ new “Up and Adams” will feature a single host, backed by a rotating series of guest stars, including TNT’s Charles Barkley, Super Bowl-winning coach Sean Payton, and Eric Weddle.
Like “Get Up,” the new “Up and Adams” will eschew the “Embrace Debate” format so popular a few years ago in favor of a smart, wisecracking host leading viewers through the worlds of sports, entertainment, and betting.
“I love an adventure and couldn’t be more excited to be a part of a team that’s leading the way into the future of sports,” Adams said in a statement. “Breaking news. Good vibes. You. Me. Guests! Let’s go already!”
If FanDuel’s flagship weekday morning show (Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. ET) doesn’t work, look for show creators to pivot on a dime.
When “Get Up” debuted as ESPN’s new morning show in 2018, it was derided as an expensive flop.
Co-hosts Mike Greenberg, Michelle Beadle, and Jalen Rose had little chemistry. Beadle sealed her own fate by declaring she’d stopped watching the sport of football — due to its treatment of women. But even Beadle’s 2019 departure didn’t stop the death-watch speculation about “Get Up’s” cancellation.
To its credit, ESPN turned the ship around — fast. Rather than three hosts, ESPN reverted to the original inspiration for the show: A fast-paced joyride through sports with Greenberg, internally described as “Greeny and Friends.”
Now four years later, “Get Up” is a hit. Greenberg has parlayed the show’s popularity into additional hosting gigs on the NFL Draft and NBA Countdown.
Far from being a flop, “Get Up” has become a development factory for up-and-coming talents such as Marcus Spears, Dianna Russini, Dan Orlovsky, Ryan Clark, Cassidy Hubbarth, Pat McAfee and Domonique Foxworth, as well as popular commentators like Paul “Mouth of the South” Finebaum.
The weekday show averages roughly 350,000 viewers. “Get Up’s” TV audiences this year have risen 6% year to date from the same period in 2021.
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