ESPN to Launch Multicultural Late-Night Shows

ESPN has announced that it will add two late-night shows to its programming line-up. Set to debut January 28, 2019, the two shows — Now or Never (ESPN2) and Ahora o Nunca (ESPN Deportes) — will be dedicated to covering the intersection of sports and pop culture for young, multicultural sports fans.

Now or Never and Ahora o Nunca will offer a new take on sports, with a laid-back vibe for the late-night fan. Fans can expect the co-hosts to have fun with sports headlines and reactions, chat about the latest news on movies, music, E Sports, celebrity culture and much more. The shows will feature social content that incorporates viewer interaction and engagement. Airing Monday through Friday, the two 30-minute shows will be produced from ESPN studios at L.A. Live in Los Angeles and air on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes at 2 a.m. ET / 11 p.m. PT.

Now or Never will be co-hosted by Steve Covino, Rich Davis, and Janelle Marie Rodriguez. Covino and Davis, who currently co-host Covino & Rich on ESPN Radio and SiriusXM’s Faction Talk channel, come to ESPN with a plethora of sports and pop culture experience. The pair have worked as television hosts for NBC Sports’ NY affiliate SNY, discussing daily pop culture and sports stories. They have hosted numerous red carpet events including the MTV Video Music Awards and Movie Awards, the GRAMMY Awards and private parties for ESPN and Rolling Stone, as well as numerous Super Bowl weeks, and the MLB All-Star Week, on behalf of SiriusXM.

Rodriguez is a South Florida native who began her career at a young age, making regular television appearances and her acting debut on TNT’s series The Last Ship. Throughout her career, she has interviewed many high-profile celebrities, including Steven Spielberg, Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana. She was nominated as Best Actress in a Webseries at The Official Latino Short Film Festival for her work on the digital network Flama, and was recognized as the first Latina to host MONSTER JAM in the U.S. Rodriguez will serve as the bilingual co-host and appear on both shows.

Ahora o Nunca will be co-hosted by ESPN Deportes’ Mauricio Pedroza, Herculez Gomez and Rodriguez. Pedroza was discovered in Mexico City in 2006 when he participated on ESPN Deportes’ Dream Job, a nationwide casting event centered around the World Cup. Since then, Pedroza has become one of the most recognized young faces on the Spanish-language network. He has served as co-host of Nación ESPN and Cronómetro, among others. Pedroza started his career at ESPN anchoring SportsCenter.

Herculez Gomez joined ESPN as a soccer analyst in January 2017, after announcing his retirement from professional soccer. The 17-year veteran of Mexico’s Liga MX and Major League Soccer – including the 2016 season with the Seattle Sounders, MLS Cup champions– serves as a studio analyst on ESPN’s English and Spanish-language networks. Gomez appears primarily as a pundit on ESPN FC, ESPN’s daily soccer news, highlights and information program, and as a studio analyst for the network’s coverage of Major League Soccer, U.S. Men’s National Team, and other international soccer competitions. On ESPN Deportes, he serves as an analyst on signature soccer studio programs including Fuera de Juego and Fútbol Picante.