Multiple ESPN studio shows surge to record first quarter viewership

· Daily studio shows up 14% in viewership for Q1 of 2026

· Five shows score their highest Q1 average audiences ever

ESPN's signature lineup of daily studio shows recorded a 14% gain in average viewership for the Nielsen first quarter of 2026, with five shows scoring their highest Q1 averages ever and two others drawing their largest Q1 viewership average in 10 years.

Overall, the shows averaged 485K viewers during Q1, an increase of 14% over the first quarter of 2025. Shows kicked off 2026 with strong viewership in January that started the momentum.

Q1 viewership records

· Having its best Q1 ever, the ESPN morning show Get Up was up 18 percent over Q1 2025, averaging 464K viewers. Get Up had its best months ever for January (519K, +10% YOY), February (462K, +24%) and March (444K, +27%).

· The Pat McAfee Show averaged 520K viewers (linear and digital) for its best Q1 ever, following record audience averages for January (575K, +16% YOY, best in show history), February (530K, +28%) and March (455K, +25%).

· In only its third year of airing in Q1, the 2 p.m. ET SportsCenter (326K, +13% YOY) posted its best Q1 average on record as well as its best February (317K, +24%) and March (311K, +27%).

· NBA Today was up 24 percent for the quarter, averaging 360K viewers, its best Q1 ever.

· Averaging 868K per episode during Q1, the highest average for all shows, the late night SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt had its best Q1 ever and was up 22 percent over its Q1 average for 2025. Driven by late night programs following games in the NFL Playoffs and the College Football Playoff, the show started 2026 with its best January ever, averaging 1.9M viewers.

Best Q1 viewership since last decade

· Averaging 777K viewers per episode during the quarter, PTI had its best Q1 since 2019 and was up 16% over Q1 2025.

· The 6 p.m. edition of SportsCenter, with its best March ever, averaged 533K viewers in Q1, an increase of 26% over 2025 and its best average for the quarter since 2016. With new co-anchor Christine Williamson joining anchor Kevin Negandhi in March, the show averaged 529K viewers, up 27% YOY.

· NFL Live averaged 469K viewers for Q1, up 30 percent YOY and the show's best Q1 since 2015.

· The Saturday morning edition of SportsCenter averaged 449K Q1 viewers, up 10% over last year and best for the show since 2019.

Other ESPN studio shows with YOY Q1 viewership gains included First Take (524K avg., +5% YOY, best Q1 since 2024; also best February ever at 530K, +6%); the Sunday morning SportsCenter (455K avg., +13%, best Q1 since 2024); the midnight SportsCenter (non-Scott Van Pelt editions), (443K avg., +2%, best Q1 since 2022); and the 7 a.m. SportsCenter (270K avg., +11%, best Q1 since 2020).

The 5 p.m. SportsCenter, which launched in May of 2025, averaged 477K viewers in its first Q1, up 10 percent over the timeslot last year.

ESPN's studio shows also were a factor in ESPN scoring one of its strongest overall Q1 viewing performances of the past decade. Read more at ESPN Press Room.

Please Note: All metrics are based on Nielsen Big Data + Panel and YouTube Analytics. This year's Nielsen Quarter 1 covers December 29, 2025, to March 29, 2026. All previous years have similar time frames.

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