ESPN’s Sports Talk Shows Had a Record-Breaking June!

(Explained like you’re 5 years old)

What Happened in June? Lots of Sports Finals!

In June, many big sports championships happened. Think of it like the final rounds of a giant game tournament. These included:

• NBA Finals (basketball) and the NBA Draft (where teams pick new players)
• Stanley Cup Final (hockey)
• College World Series for men and women (baseball)
• FIFA World Cup (soccer)
• And more!

Because these exciting events were on, people wanted to watch TV shows where hosts talk about sports. These are called studio shows (like a classroom where teachers discuss games). ESPN (a big sports channel) had more viewers than last year for these shows in June and also for the second quarter of the year (that’s April–June, called Q2). This June success followed May, which also had record leadership, so ESPN’s whole year has been doing great!

Important Big Picture: All ESPN studio shows together got 26% more viewers than June of last year (2025). Among younger viewers (ages 18–49), they got 14% more. For the whole Q2, overall viewership went up 25% compared to last year. (When we say "compared to last year," grown-ups call it year-over-year or YOY.)

ESPN’s Morning Shows Were Super Stars

ESPN has shows in the morning and early afternoon on weekdays (Monday–Friday). They are like the breakfast club of sports talk! These shows had their best June and best Q2 ever:

• Get Up (at 8 a.m.)
• First Take (at 10 a.m.)
• The Pat McAfee Show (at noon)
  Also, because basketball was hot, NBA Today (at 3 p.m.) also had its best June and Q2 ever.

The "Best June Ever" Club: Four Shows Hit Records

Here are four shows that got the most viewers they’ve ever gotten in June:

• Get Up (8 a.m. weekdays): Averaged 426,000 viewers. That’s 39% more than last year.
• First Take (10 a.m. weekdays): Averaged 505,000 viewers. Up 26% from June 2025.
• The Pat McAfee Show (noon weekdays): Averaged 383,000 viewers (counting both regular TV and internet streaming). Up 26% from last year.
• NBA Today (3 p.m. weekdays): Up 40% from last year, averaging 339,000 viewers.

Other Shows That Shined Too

Some other ESPN shows also did really well:

• NFL Live (4 p.m. weekdays): Averaged 322,000 viewers, up 11% from last year. This was its best June since 2016 (that’s like 10 years ago!).
• PTI (5:30 p.m. weekdays): Averaged 665,000 viewers, up 21% from last year. Best June since 2021.

SportsCenter (The Sports News Show) Got More Viewers

SportsCenter is like the daily newsletter of sports on TV. In June:

• Overall, it was up 22% compared to June 2025, averaging 382,000 viewers across all its air times.
• Some specific times that grew every single month this year:
  • 7 a.m.: Up 33% | avg 251,000
  • 2 p.m.: Up 45% | avg 304,000
  • 5 p.m.: Up 25% | avg 399,000 (finished its first full year!)
  • 6 p.m.: Up 28% | avg 470,000
  • 11 p.m.: Up 13% | avg 399,000
  • 1 a.m.: Up 21% | avg 279,000
  • SC AM Saturday: Up 35% | avg 407,000
  • SC AM Sunday: Up 73% | avg 476,000

Important Note: How We Count the Weeks and Viewers

Important Point: June 2026 was measured as June 1–28 (that’s 4 weeks). June 2025 had 5 weeks. To compare fairly, they looked at the first 4 weeks of both years. The numbers come from a company called Nielsen that counts TV viewers (using big data and panels) and from YouTube Analytics (for online views).

All of ESPN in One Place: The App and Streaming

ESPN wants you to watch everything in one spot! They have the ESPN App and a subscription called ESPN Unlimited. It’s like a magic box where you can see:

• Over 47,000 live sports events each year
• Replays whenever you miss a game
• All the studio shows we talked about
• Fun extra features: watching multiple games at once (multiview), stats, fantasy games, betting odds from DraftKings, and even shopping for merch.

You can use the app on your phone or TV. You can pay directly or through some TV providers. There’s also a bundle with Disney+ and Hulu for movies and shows too. Learn more at stream.espn.com.

Media Contacts

If you’re a reporter, you can email:

• [email protected]
• [email protected]

Summary

In June, because of super exciting sports finals, ESPN’s talk shows got record numbers of viewers. Morning shows like Get Up, First Take, and Pat McAfee Show had their best months ever. NBA Today and others also broke records. SportsCenter grew at many time slots. Overall, ESPN had way more viewers than last year, continuing success from May. You can catch all this on the ESPN App!

FAQ

Q1: What does "year-over-year" (YOY) mean?
A1: It means we compare numbers from this year to the same time last year, like June 2026 vs June 2025.

Q2: What is a "studio show"?
A2: It’s a TV program where hosts sit in a studio (like a classroom) and chat about sports news, games, and drafts.

Q3: What is Q2?
A3: Q2 stands for the second quarter of the year. That’s the months of April, May, and June.

Q4: How can I watch these ESPN shows?
A4: You can watch on regular TV or use the ESPN App with an ESPN Unlimited subscription, or through some cable/satellite packages.

Q5: Why did June 2026 have fewer weeks than June 2025 in the count?
A5: Nielsen (the viewer-counting company) defined June 2026 as June 1–28 (4 weeks) and June 2025 had 5 weeks. They compared the first 4 weeks of both to be fair.