Doug Kezirian will host "Daily Wager," which will focus heavily on betting news, discussion and analysisESPN IMAGES
ESPN will debut its first gambling-related show on March 11 -- a daily one-hour show that will be on ESPNews from 6:00-7:00pm ET. The show, “Daily Wager,” is being positioned as a news-and-information show that will pay particular attention to point spreads and money lines. The show will use ESPN’s talent to present the kind of information and analysis about upcoming games that enable viewers to make their own decisions, said ESPN Exec VP & Exec Editor/Studio Production Norby Williamson. “This is not a backroom, roll-up-your-sleeves, insider gambling show -- our goal is to serve people that watch sports who may or may not gamble on games,” Williamson said. Hosted by Doug Kezirian, “Daily Wager” will be heavy on news, discussion and analysis. The screen will feature graphics about sports betting news, lines and information. The show will be produced in Bristol and be available via ESPN’s app. Other on-air talent scheduled to be involved in the show include “Stanford” Steve Coughlin, Chris “The Bear” Fallica, David Purdum, Anita Marks, Preston Johnson and Joe Fortenbaugh. “Different shows do different things,” Williamson said. “You have to be credible and you have to be transparent. With this show, we want to use the credibility, insight and execution that we already have."
CRAWLING BEFORE THEY WALK: ESPN slowly has been wading into gambling-related content. Scott Van Pelt’s “SportsCenter” has a “Bad Beats” segment; ESPN+ and ESPN.com have sports betting content; and ESPN produces two podcasts around sports betting -- “Behind the Bets with Doug Kezirian” and “Stanford Steve and The Bear.” During Disney’s Feb. 5 earnings call, Chair & CEO Bob Iger said that ESPN plans to have shows that more overtly discuss gambling-related issues.
