ESPN, Field Yates Extend Contract in Nod To Growth of Fantasy Sports

variety.com:

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Field Yates thinks fantasy football is catching up in popularity to the real thing. “If you watch ‘SportsCenter though to the end, I’d bet if you put on an hour, there’s a pretty good chance, better than 50-50 you’re going to see at least one segment of fantasy sports,” he says in a recent interview.” I think it’s reflective of the appetite fans have for this type of content.” ESPN has signed Yates to a new multi-year deal, ensuring he’ll be around to host both the daily “Fantasy Focus Football Podcast” as well as “Fantasy Football Now,” while contributing NFL analysis across several ESPN programs. “Field is the epitome of versatility,” says Scott Clark, vice president of fantasy and betting content for ESPN, in a statement. “He is a rare talent that can move seamlessly from host to analyst to insider, from NFL Live to Fantasy, from on-air work to written columns, and from podcasts to social media.

He is a master across everything we do at ESPN, and we are thrilled that he will continue to be a big part of our NFL and Fantasy content for years to come.” More of the nation’s big sports-media outlets are boosting their coverage of fantasy sports, largely in the belief that fantasy fans are likely to take up legalized sports betting as more states give a nod to the activity.

Betting “only adds to the popularity of fantasy football,” says Yates. “Maybe they are not necessarily the same, but they are like cousins who are exceptionally close to each other.” NBC Sports this season placed fantasy sports expert Matthew Berry, a former ESPN staffer, on the team at its “Football Night In America” pre-game show — one of the most-watched programs on broadcast TV.