Championship June drives big viewership increases for ESPN studio shows

• NBA Finals and Draft, Stanley Cup Final, College World Series and more help drive studio show viewership success in June
• Morning block shine continues with best June and Q2s ever for Get Up, First Take, The Pat McAfee Show
• NBA Today has its best June ever as NBA Finals and Draft make news

With a month of championship sports events driving content and viewership, ESPN’s sports studio shows enjoyed a strong and successful month of June, with year-over-year (YOY) viewership increases for both the month and the second quarter (Q2) of the year.

Events including the NBA Finals and Draft, the Stanley Cup Final, the Men’s and Women’s College World Series, FIFA World Cup and more captured the June sports scene and drove the content and discussion in ESPN’s studio shows.

ESPN’s weekday morning/early afternoon block of shows, including Get Up, First Take and The Pat McAfee Show, continued setting the morning standard as all earned their best June and Q2 viewership on record. And with the NBA Finals in full swing and the NBA Draft making news, NBA Today also had its best June and Q2 ever.

Combined, all ESPN studio shows were up 26% in viewership over June of 2025 and up 14% year-over-year (YOY) among younger viewers in the Persons ages 18-49 demographic, as well as up 25% YOY in overall viewership for Q2.

With the June studio shows holding sway following May’s record leadership, ESPN’s year-long viewership success story continued. Some show achievements:

Best June ever for four shows

• Get Up (8 a.m. M-F) averaged 426K, a YOY increase of 39%.
• First Take (10 a.m. M-F) averaged 505K viewers, up 26% over June of 2025.
• The Pat McAfee Show (noon M-F) averaged 383K viewers (linear + digital), up 26% YOY.
• NBA Today (3 p.m. M-F) was up 40% YOY, averaging 339K viewers.

June brings continued success for multiple shows

• NFL Live (4 p.m. M-F, 322K) saw an increase of 11% YOY, the show’s best June since 2016.
• PTI (5:30 p.m. M-F) averaged 665K viewers with a 21% YOY increase. The program enjoyed its best June viewership average since 2021.

SportsCenter serves fans with multiple increases in June

• Overall up 22% vs. June 2025 | Averaged 382K 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.
  • 7 a.m.: Up 33% | averaged 251K
  • 2 p.m.: Up 45% | averaged 304K
  • 5 p.m.: Up 25% | averaged 399K | Completed its first full year
  • 6 p.m.: Up 28% | averaged 470K
  • 11 p.m.: Up 13% | averaged 399K
  • 1 a.m.: Up 21% | averaged 279K viewers
  • SC AM (Sat.): Up 35% | averaged 407K
  • SC AM (Sun.): Up 73% | averaged 476K

Please Note: June 2026 is defined by Nielsen as June 1-28, and June, 2025, was a five-week month while June, 2026, was a four-week month. Year-over-year comparisons are to the first five weeks of June, 2025. 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: [email protected] and [email protected]