Monday Night’s Episode Originating from US Open in New York for First Time  

On September 7, 2015, ESPN launched SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt, a new and different edition of its signature news and information program, the first in the show’s history designed for a specific host.

On Monday, August 26, the show begins its 10^th year as an ESPN late night staple.

Returning from its annual summer break, SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt will air Monday at 11:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, originating for the first time on location at the US Open in New York. During the show, viewers can expect the return of the popular “Bad Beats” segment with Van Pelt and co-host “Stanford” Steve Coughlin as well as some highlights from the show’s first nine years.

“It’s cliche to say, but true,” said Van Pelt. “It’s Impossible to believe it’s year 10. Time flies and all of that.

“I’m proud of what our show has been and what it continues to be,” he said. “I believe we are a very comfortable place for our viewers and the guests we welcome on the show. It’s familiar to us all and that allows for an ease of things.”

The program continues to be a hit with viewers, especially younger ones. On average since September of 2023, SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt has drawn larger audiences among younger demographics than other late-night talk shows on both broadcast and cable. And it’s still doing so – earlier this year, SVP ranked first in Persons 18-49 (354K average viewers), Males 18-49 (262K), Persons 18-34 (127K) and Males 18-34 (92K).

ESPN’s most-viewed daily studio show during football season, SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt has averaged 673,000 viewers to date in 2024, including some big nights and months. Boosted by following highly viewed NCAA Women’s Basketball games, the program averaged 1.2 million viewers per episode in April, its best-performing month so far this year, with an average of 1.1 million per episode in January.

An average of 6.3 million viewers tuned in for the show on April 5 that followed the NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four game between UConn and Iowa, the most-viewed episode in show history, with 3.4 million watching after the College Football Playoff championship game on Jan. 8. The program had three audiences of 2.2 million or higher following NFL games last season.

“We never take for granted what we get to be, which is the postgame shows to the biggest events in our company,” Van Pelt said. “Monday Night Football, the NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Final, the College Football Playoff. We get to talk about it when it’s done. Whatever it is. And in retrospect, it has been occasionally remarkable.

“One night in March in 2020, Covid came to the sports world and everything stopped,” he said. “That news broke on our show when Adrian Wojnarowski came on and we went live in a time of total uncertainty.

“Similarly, the night Damar Hamlin nearly lost his life, we couldn’t offer much in the way of clarity, but people came to our show for what we did have,” he said. “I’m proud of the humanity we leaned on. Ryan Clark, most notably, was there to help us through. Nights like that are as real as things get and we try to be measured and even in them.”

The SVP SportsCenter was designed to present the world of sports as seen through Van Pelt’s unique perspective and showcase his passion for sports, with his self-deprecating wit and disposition toward celebrating stars and storylines. And since it is SportsCenter, interviews, highlights and results of the night’s games remain an integral part of the show.

But making the show different are segments such as “Bad Beats,” in which Van Pelt and Coughlin look back at the moments that drove bettors wild during the past week in sports, as well as Van Pelt’s unique features, including his “One Big Thing” commentary and “The Best Thing I Saw Today” that opens the show. And football season will mark the return of the ever-popular “Winners” segment in which Van Pelt and Coughlin make football predictions with a betting flavor.

Though the show sometimes airs from different locations, such as Monday night’s program at the tennis major event, most episodes originate from Washington, D.C., where the show relocated in August of 2020.

“As we get ready to begin a 10th year, we are most grateful to the people who continue to turn up for the show,” Van Pelt said. “Maybe you stay up past bedtime to hang out after a big game. It’s not something we take lightly – that connection that’s so frayed these days. Sports can connect us like nothing else and that’s what we hope our show is for you. I appreciate it immensely.

“We’re not tired yet and we’re thankful you aren’t either.”

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