Longtime ESPN anchor Elle Duncan is leaving the network.
Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported on Monday that Duncan has reached an agreement with Netflix to become the network’s first full-time sports personality. The contract is said to have left room for Duncan to remain with ESPN, but that is not going to happen.
Duncan and ESPN will part ways when the 42-year-old begins working at Netflix, according to Marchand. There is reportedly no bad blood between the two sides, but Duncan’s deal with Netflix will result in her making more money than she did at ESPN and working a less demanding schedule
Netflix has been expanding its live sports coverage in recent years, most notably with the exclusive rights to a pair of NFL games on Christmas Day. The streaming giant has also acquired rights to MLB games, the Women’s World Cup and certain events like the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight last year and another upcoming mega-bout featuring Paul.
Duncan has been the host of ESPN’s 6 p.m. edition of “SportsCenter” for the past five years. She also leads studio coverage for the WNBA. Duncan drew attention earlier this year for a crude joke she made during the WNBA All-Star Game.
