ESPN Daytime Studio Shows Surge in September

Amanda Brooks

October 9, 2025

All Nine Shows From 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET Delivered Audience Increases, Many with Multi-Year Highs
Get Up, First Take and The Pat McAfee Show Earned Highest September Viewership Ever

ESPN’s daily studio show lineup delivered audience increases across the board in September, as the fall sports season began in earnest. Multiple shows – Get Up, First Take and The Pat McAfee Show – earned their highest September viewership ever, while others, including SportsCenter, delivered multi-year highs for September.

“This year’s compelling fall sports season, combined with Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel methodology, has further amplified our studio show viewership,” said Flora Kelly, ESPN Senior Vice President of Research. “We are thrilled with these September results, proving that fans continue to turn to ESPN for their sports conversations.”

Between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. ET, ESPN collectively averaged 445,000 viewers, up 22 percent year-over-year. Among the individual show highlights:

Get Up: 459,000 viewers, the show’s best September audience and up 24 percent year-over-year
First Take: 551,000 viewers, the show’s best September audience and up 23 percent year-over-year
The Pat McAfee Show: 447,000 viewers (Includes YouTube viewership in addition to ESPN), the show’s best September audience.
NFL Live: 447,000 viewers the show’s best September audience since 2016 and up 18 percent year-over-year
SportsCenter (5 p.m.): 448,000 viewers, up 16 percent year-over-year
Pardon The Interruption: 676,000 viewers, up 16 percent year-over-year
SportsCenter (6 p.m.): 542,000, the show’s best September since 2019 and up 39 percent year-over-year