- NFL, college football season buildup, MLB playoff races and more help drive studio show viewership success in August
- NBA Today continues strong run with best August ever
- Five SportsCenter editions have posted year-over-year growth every month in 2026
ESPN’s studio programming continued its strong performance in August as fan interest in the upcoming NFL and college football seasons, combined with MLB pennant races and a busy summer sports calendar, drove audiences across the network’s daily lineup. As a year-long pattern of strong viewership continued, multiple programs delivered their best August viewership on record, while overall studio show audiences increased 13% year over year.
Among the month’s top performers, NBA Today delivered its best August on record, posting a 64% year-over-year increase. ESPN’s weekday morning and early afternoon block also reached new milestones, with Get Up, First Take (tying its record set in 2025) and The Pat McAfee Show all achieving their best August audiences. The 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. ET editions of SportsCenter likewise set new August viewership highs.
August milestones across ESPN’s daily lineup:
Record August performances
- Get Up (8 a.m. M-F) averaged 378K, a YOY increase of 19%.
- First Take (10 a.m. M-F) averaged 419K viewers, tying 2025’s mark for the show’s best August.
- The Pat McAfee Show (noon M-F) averaged 405K viewers (linear + digital), up 19% YOY.
- NBA Today (3 p.m. M-F) was up 64% YOY, averaging 328K viewers.
SportsCenter builds on strong 2026 momentum
- Overall up 13% vs. August 2025 | Averaged 311K viewers across all editions
- The 7 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and Saturday morning editions have been up YOY every month this year. Other editions that were up YOY in August:
- 7 a.m.: Up 12% | averaged 212K
- 2 p.m.: Up 39% | averaged 298K
- 5 p.m.: Up 40% | averaged 413K
- 6 p.m.: Up 12% | averaged 403K
- SC AM (Sat.): Up 17% | averaged 422K
- SC AM (Sun.): Up 24% | averaged 349K
August sees more success for NFL Live, PTI
- NFL Live (4 p.m. M-F, 366K) saw an increase of 22% YOY, the show’s best August since 2015.
- PTI (5:30 p.m. M-F) averaged 568K viewers with a 14% YOY increase. The program enjoyed its best August viewership average since 2019.
ESPN’s daily studio show lineup will see a new addition with the debut of Big Day with Peter Schrager on Thursday, Sept. 10, at 2 p.m. The new weekday show will air from 2-3 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays during the college football season before expanding to Fridays after the season concludes.
Please Note: August 2026 is defined by Nielsen as July 27 – August 30. August was a five-week month in both 2025 and 2026. All metrics are based on Nielsen Big Data + Panel and YouTube Analytics.
All of ESPN. All in One Place.
ESPN offers its full suite of networks and services directly to fans on the ESPN App with an ESPN Unlimited subscription, providing more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, including more than 47,000 live events per year, on-demand replays, industry-leading studio shows and original programming, and more. The ESPN App gives fans a unique viewing experience that includes multiview and synchronized two-screen viewing options, swipe-able shortform vertical video and a personalized SportsCenter For You, as well as integrated game stats, ESPN Fantasy sports, betting odds and information from DraftKings, sports merchandise, and more. These features are available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a pay TV package from certain providers. Bundling options available for fans include a Disney+, Hulu, ESPN offering that provides a one-of-a-kind streaming package combining sports with branded and general entertainment. For more visit stream.espn.com.
-30-
Media contacts: andy.hall@espn.com and michael.skarka@espn.com