or


[09/05/25 - 09:01 AM]
ESPN Networks Command Historic Viewership with Second Most-Watched Labor Day Weekend in at Least 30 Years
From Saturday, August 30 through Monday, September 1, fans consumed 16.8 billion minutes across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, up 25 percent year-over-year.
[via press release from ESPN]

ESPN Networks Command Historic Viewership with Second Most-Watched Labor Day Weekend in At Least 30 Years

· 16.8 billion minutes watched across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2

· Holiday weekend only surpassed by 2016's record high

· College football, US Open, college volleyball, MLB and F1 drive multi-sport success

ESPN networks scored a historic start to the fall sports season, delivering the second most-watched Labor Day Weekend in at least 30 years (records date back to 1995) and ESPN's most-watched Labor Day Weekend since 2016. From Saturday, Aug. 30 through Monday, Sept. 1, fans consumed 16.8 billion minutes across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, up 25 percent year-over-year.

The stacked holiday slate featured standout performances across multiple properties, with several reaching all-time or multi-year highs based on average minute audience, including:

· College Football: ESPN networks posted their most-watched Kickoff Weekend on record, averaging 4.1 million viewers across 15 games, up 31 percent year-over-year. For the first time ever in a regular season weekend, three games on ABC surpassed 10 million viewers. More details.

· College GameDay: The premier college football pregame show delivered its most-watched episode ever, averaging 4.0 million viewers as fans tuned in for Lee Corso's final show: More details.

· US Open Tennis: ESPN's coverage continued to surge, with ABC's Round of 16 averaging 2.2 million viewers, the most-watched Round of 16 telecast since 2015. The Third Round was up 15 percent year-over-year and drawing its best audience since 2022.

· College Volleyball: ESPN Events' inaugural Broadway Block Party set a milestone with ESPN networks' most-watched regular season college volleyball match ever, as Nebraska vs. Kentucky averaged 1.2 million viewers on ABC.

· Sunday Night Baseball: The Braves/Phillies matchup drew 1.9 million viewers, up 28 percent against last season's Sunday Night Baseball average.

· SportsCenter: SportsCenter was up 8 percent from 2024, across 11 live episodes. Saturday morning's show - which features live interviews with on-air ESPN personalities at the biggest college football games in the country - averaged 942,000 viewers, while SportsCenter with SVP on Monday night following TCU-UNC registered 1.2 million viewers.

· F1: Sunday's Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix averaged 1.2 million viewers, the largest audience ever for the event. Viewership peaked at 1.3 million between 10:30-10:45 a.m. ET as Oscar Piastri drove to victory.

-30-





  [september 2025]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· SATURDAY NIGHT COLLEGE FOOTBALL (ABC)
· SUNDAY NIGHT BASEBALL (NBC)




most recent ratings | view all posts
[05/26/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of May 18 - In Ruthless Pursuit, "Nemesis" Steals No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
Retirement in "The Boroughs" is anything but sleepy as the Duffer Brothers-produced sci-fi series took No. 2 on the list with 5.6 million views.
[05/26/26 - 11:00 AM]
"Dutton Ranch" Is the Biggest Original Series Debut in Paramount+ History
In addition to its record-setting performance on Paramount+, "Dutton Ranch" is also the #1 streaming series according to Nielsen based on average audience for the week of May 11 according to preliminary data.
[05/21/26 - 02:32 PM]
ESPN Delivered Most-Watched NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 Since 2018
The New York Knicks overtime victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 19 generated an average audience of 7.1 million viewers and peaked with 8.87 million viewers at 10:45 p.m. ET.

[05/21/26 - 02:00 PM]
"Survivor" Historic 50th Season Concludes with Most-Watched Finale Since 2020
The season finale drew an average of 5.78 million viewers, based on Nielsen Preliminary panel only data.
[05/21/26 - 07:01 AM]
NBC Sports' 2026 SuperMotocross Coverage Delivers Viewership Gains and Milestones
The seven races featured on NBC and Peacock averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 468,000 viewers on NBC and Peacock, up 8% vs. 2025.
[05/20/26 - 03:05 PM]
NBC and Peacock Deliver the Most-Watched Western Conference Finals Game 1 Ever for Monday's Spurs-Thunder Double Overtime Thriller
Coverage peaked with 12.0 million viewers from 11:30-11:43 p.m. ET for the second overtime and game's conclusion.
[05/20/26 - 03:04 PM]
ESPN Aired Its Most Viewed 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round of the Current Rights Deal
Collectively all 11 Second Round games, with nine airing on ESPN and two on ABC, delivered 2.2 million viewers, up 76% year-over-year.

[05/20/26 - 07:36 AM]
After Record-Setting 2025 Season, "Sunday Night Football" Finishes Fall-Spring TV Season as Primetime's No. 1 Show for Unprecedented 15th Consecutive Year
The series averaged 23.5 million viewers in 2025, marking the show's best-ever viewership - up nearly 1 million viewers from the prior record for the series set a decade ago (22.6 million in 2015 season) and an increase of 9% over the '24 season (21.6 million).
[05/19/26 - 02:52 PM]
Subway Series Delivers Second Most-Watched FOX Saturday Baseball Telecast of the Season
2,500,000 viewers tuned-in to the two-game slate highlighted by the Mets' 6-3 victory over the Yankees in most of the country.
[05/19/26 - 02:01 PM]
Netflix Viewership Peaks with Nearly 17 Million Global Viewers for MVP MMA's Rousey vs. Carano, Averaging 12.4 Million Viewers Across the Triple Main Event
In the US, the triple-main card averaged 9.3 million viewers, peaking at 11.6 million viewers during Rousey vs. Carano.
[05/19/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of May 11 - "The Roast of Kevin Hart" Heats Up to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
True crime audiences also streamed the second season of "Worst Ex Ever," which rose to the No. 2 spot on the English TV list with 8.1 million views.
[05/19/26 - 07:07 AM]
TNT Sports Posts Its Most-Watched NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round Ever
Thursday's Game 5 of the Montreal/Buffalo series averaged 1.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched, Second Round, Game 5 on cable ever featuring a Canadian team.
[05/18/26 - 04:03 PM]
"The Rookie" Season 8 Finale Surges to Over 9 Million Total Viewers
Setting new records with its exceptional momentum this season, "The Rookie" finale earned an all-time streaming high for the series based on views over seven days on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

[05/15/26 - 02:03 PM]
ABC News Is #1 in Total Viewers on Sunday Morning, in Late-Night and on Friday Night
"20/20" saw week-to-week increases in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, hitting 4-week highs in both measures.
[05/14/26 - 10:07 AM]
"Rooster" Capped Off a Standout First Season, Becoming HBO's Most-Watched Comedy Debut in Over 15 Years
The series is averaging 6.5 million U.S. viewers per episode, with the finale reaching 2.2 million viewers in its first three days.