As ESPN\u2019s weekday studio shows continue to hit viewership highs, competition on other sports networks has largely collapsed.<\/p>\n
In a recent press release<\/a>, ESPN announced that daily studio viewership in the first quarter of 2026 increased 14% compared to the first quarter of 2025. And while that boost can at least be partly explained by Nielsen\u2019s introduction of Big Data measurements, it doesn\u2019t change the fact that ESPN continues to trounce its competition in the dayparts.<\/p>\n Take morning show Get Up, for instance. On a panel-only basis, Get Up averaged 392,000 viewers the week of March 30. In the same timeslot, Wake Up Barstool on FS1 averaged 18,000 viewers, The Leadoff Spot on MLB Network averaged 19,000 viewers, and Good Morning Football on NFL Network averaged 41,000 viewers.<\/p>\n ESPN\u2019s biggest competition in the morning window is itself. SportsCenter on ESPN2 averaged 75,000 viewers that week.<\/p>\n While ESPN trends up, FS1 viewership in that window has been on a downward trajectory for awhile. In June 2025<\/a>,\u00a0Breakfast Ball,\u00a0was averaging 32,000 viewers. In May 2019<\/a>, when the slot belonged to First Things First, viewership was 61,000.<\/p>\n With such a wide gap between ESPN and the rest of the field, it is somewhat surprising that so many networks continue to program directly against it.<\/p>\n ESPN\u2019s advantage is not limited to the morning. The Pat McAfee Show averaged 355,000 panel viewers that week. The Herd on FS1 remains the closest competitor between the two networks, but at an average of 101,000 viewers, it is still nowhere close.<\/p>\n While ESPN\u2019s viewership suggests its shows remain popular, the network continues to face familiar criticism<\/a>. The network\u2019s daily studio programming has long been accused of leaning heavily toward the NFL and NBA, often at the expense of broader sports coverage. Yet those critiques have done little to dent its audience advantage.<\/p>\n Stephen A. Smith\u2019s First Take\u00a0is the show that has seen the brunt of this criticism, but it hasn\u2019t seen its viewership negatively impacted. First Take led all of ESPN\u2019s shows with 448,000 average panel viewers. ESPN says that First Take averaged 524,000 viewers in the first quarter of 2026 while including Big Data.<\/p>\n