In November, ESPN’s First Take enjoyed a 70% increase in overall viewership over the previous year, averaging 511,000 viewers (P2+, Nielsen’s November: October 30 – November 26). The month also saw an increase of 91% for men 18-34 compared to the same month last year (109,000 vs. 57,000).

“The First Take team is dedicated to working harder and smarter to provide our fans with a program they can count on for thought provoking debates and discussions, no matter the topics,” said David Roberts, ESPN Vice President, Network Content. “That commitment will continue as we wrap up 2017 and look forward to even greater success stories in the new year. All of us are thankful for a very loyal and growing fan base.”

Fans Turn to ESPN on Holidays
With no surprise, the top days for viewership this month were the holiday telecasts:

• The day after Thanksgiving (Friday, Nov. 24) came in as the fourth highest rated show in 2017 with 727,000 viewers tuning in for NFL debates including guest Tim Tebow.
• Thanksgiving (Thursday, Nov. 23) came in second for the month as the sixth highest rated show so far this year with 690,000 fans tuning in to watch NFL, NBA and college football debates.
• First Take’s Veterans Day Special on November 6 also drew an audience with 482,000 viewers, up 53% over the same special in 2016.

In addition, First Take’s audience was more than triple that of Undisputed on FS1 – 511,000 vs. 162,000. The ESPN show’s advantage among men 18-34 was also more than triple that of Undisputed with an average of 109,000 impressions vs. 29,000 for FS1.

First Take – ESPN’s weekday morning studio debate show featuring commentators Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman with host Molly Qerim – airs weekday mornings from 10 a.m. – noon ET focusing on the most compelling and entertaining topics of the day from the world of sports.

-30-