America’s favorite quiz show is reportedly getting a sports spinoff. According to a report from Front Office Sports, Joe Buck is closing in on a deal to host ESPN Jeopardy!, a new sports-trivia version of the iconic game show. According to the report, the project is expected to air on Hulu and Disney+, and may also run on linear TV on ABC, along with ESPN’s streaming platforms, this summer.
Buck is a familiar face for ESPN viewers as the network’s lead play-by-play voice for Monday Night Football, and he is also slated to work ESPN’s Super Bowl coverage with Troy Aikman this upcoming season. The FOS report notes that Buck has hosted Jeopardy! before, stepping in for a week in August 2021 after Alex Trebek’s death.
The report says ESPN Jeopardy! is expected to feature mostly celebrity contestants rather than members of the general public, with multiple ESPN personalities believed to be involved. That would give the show a more network-insider feel while leaning into sports knowledge and familiar faces.
The news comes at a time when ESPN has been dealing with a steady decline in its traditional TV business for years. With millions of subscribers walking away as cord-cutting accelerates, the network has also gone through multiple rounds of layoffs as its strategy shifts to streaming.
Sony, which owns and produces Jeopardy!, has been looking for ways to expand the franchise, according to Front Office Sports. The article also points out that this would not be the first sports-themed offshoot of the game show, since Sports Jeopardy! previously ran on Crackle from 2014 through 2016 with Dan Patrick as host.
At the same time, Sony is going through a transition. The company has reportedly been laying off hundreds of employees across its TV and film divisions as it restructures its business. Rather than scaling back, Sony appears to be doubling down on proven IP.
For ESPN, the move would be a natural blend of sports and entertainment, and Buck’s return to the Jeopardy! universe gives the project instant recognition. If the deal comes together, it could become one of this summer’s more interesting crossover TV experiments.
Credit: Front Office Sports
