Netflix exec explains Elle Duncan hire: ‘She had an entertainment, pop culture personality’

In a few weeks, former ESPN host Elle Duncan will make her Netflix debut, anchoring coverage of free solo climber Alex Honnold’s attempt to scale Taipei 101, one of the tallest buildings in the world.

Duncan is the first full-time hire that Netflix has made for its sports division, making the longtime SportsCenter anchor the de facto face of the streaming giant’s ambitions in the sports realm. Netflix holds broadcast rights for a number of disparate sporting events ranging from MLB Opening Day to the FIFA Women’s World Cup, making versatility a key factor for whoever the streamer decided to employ as its front-facing centerpiece.

Elle Duncan fit the bill, according to Netflix VP of Sports Gabe Spitzer. Appearing on a recent episode of The Varsity podcast with John Ourand, Spitzer explained his company’s rationale for hiring Duncan.

“Elle, first of all, is amazing. Obviously, multiyear history at ESPN. I think we saw, what she did at ESPN felt very Netflix to us in some form. Like, she loves sports, but she had an entertainment, pop culture personality that we thought really could appeal to our members,” Spitzer said. “So as we do more sports content, or more unscripted content, or more entertainment content, she felt like she could fit in in many different places. And I think, as we’ve evolved, we don’t necessarily want to always be talking to other networks about, ‘Can we use your talent?’ Right? So Elle felt like the one where we said, ‘We could bring her into the fold.'”

At ESPN, Duncan held down a number of roles that showed she can be a three-tool player. Her SportsCenter experience showed she can carry a straightforward newscast-type program if the moment calls for it. But her presence on the more laid-back Vibe Check show displayed she can carry more personality-based programs as well. Then, of course, Duncan’s experience anchoring live on-site events like the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament give her the credentials to host any number of big time sporting events.

Interestingly, while ESPN decided not to keep Duncan on its airwaves in a more limited capacity after her Netflix deal, Spitzer says that she’ll be free to work with other companies in addition to Netflix.

“She’s nonexclusive. She can go do other events in other places. But we want her to feel like, you know, a Netflix host. And we’re really excited about her,” the executive said. “We could’ve signed her exclusively, [but] we wanted to say, ‘Hey, if you have an amazing opportunity to go work the WNBA Finals somewhere else, and it doesn’t conflict with one of our dates, go do that.’ So I think that’s going to be our approach to talent is, ‘It’s okay if you are somewhere else.’ That actually could lift us in other ways.”

That type of flexibility is a bit of an acknowledgement from Netflix that, while it continues to expand into live sports, it still is far from a full-fledged sports outfit. As time goes on, and Netflix’s place in the world of sports broadcasting grows, it’s likely Duncan’s role will grow with it.