Elle Duncan will host Netflix\u2019s baseball coverage when it launches this spring, officially confirming what\u2019s been assumed since the streaming service announced her as its first sports hire back in December.<\/p>\n
Duncan\u2019s agent, Matt Olson, recently told the Sports Business Journal\u2019s Richard Deitsch<\/a> that Duncan will host Netflix\u2019s Opening Night game and the Home Run Derby. She\u2019s also slated for prominent roles in the streamer\u2019s future NFL coverage and FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup broadcasts in 2027.<\/p>\n Between Netflix, NBC, and ESPN\u2019s new rights packages, there\u2019s been minimal movement beyond NBC bringing back Bob Costas<\/a> to host Sunday Night Baseball pregame shows and David Cone departing ESPN\u2019s lead booth<\/a>. Networks are still filling out their broadcast teams with Opening Day less than two months away.<\/p>\n Duncan left ESPN in December<\/a> after nearly a decade at the network, where she anchored SportsCenter and became the face of the network\u2019s women\u2019s basketball coverage. She makes her Netflix debut Thursday<\/a>, hosting \u201cSkyscraper Live,\u201d where free solo climber Alex Honnold will attempt to scale Taipei 101 in Taiwan.<\/p>\n Netflix\u2019s baseball package<\/a> includes Opening Night \u2014 the day before the traditional Opening Day slate<\/a> \u2014 the Home Run Derby, and the \u201cMLB at Field of Dreams\u201d game in August, as part of a three-year agreement with Major League Baseball. It\u2019s modest compared to what ESPN and NBC secured in their deals, but it gives Netflix a foothold in baseball for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n Netflix hasn\u2019t announced its broadcast team or how Duncan will be used beyond hosting duties. The Opening Night game on March 25 will mark Netflix\u2019s first baseball broadcast and Duncan\u2019s first time hosting a major professional sport for the platform.<\/p>\n