ESPN has "pulled the plug on the musical component" of the Genesis Halftime Show on "MNF," and instead will be "swapping out the performance segment for a more traditional interval of chalk talk and game analysis," according to Anthony Crupi of AD AGE. The net confirmed the change and said that it "looks forward to continuing its collaboration" with the luxury Hyundai brand. Genesis will "remain the marquee sponsor" of "MNF" halftime breaks through the end of this season. ESPN "did not offer a very detailed rationale for ditching the weekly musical element, saying only that network higher-ups had 'decided that using halftime for more news and analysis was ultimately the best way to serve our NFL fans.'" Recent performances by 5 Seconds of Summer, G-Eazy and Tainy & Anuel "perhaps didn't connect" with the core "MNF" audience (ADAGE.com, 10/28).
GHOST OF BROADCASTS PAST: ESPN did not have a "Mic'd Up" feature during Dolphins-Steelers last night. The decision does not mean that ESPN has cold feet about putting microphones on players; it still plans to use the feature when it can. The net said in an email statement, "We approached both teams, but they declined. We are already pursuing options for next week's game" (John Ourand, SBJ Media).
