January’s prominent events propelled ESPN to its highest viewership month in a decade, averaging 1.6 million viewers, according to a press release from the network. This marks ESPN’s most-watched month since January 2015.
January 2025 delivered stellar viewership for ESPN 🎉
More: https://t.co/taooqKtxwy pic.twitter.com/WbpfpSGsER
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) February 3, 2025
The network’s success is largely due to airing more marquee programming. The recent expansion of the College Football Playoff from four to 12 teams allowed ESPN to broadcast four additional postseason games from December 30 to January 26 compared to previous years. Alongside this, the network showcased two NFL playoff games, including a Divisional Round match featuring the Kansas City Chiefs, which was one of only three NFL playoff games to see an audience increase from last year. Overall, ESPN’s audience grew 38% compared to last January, remarkably supported by this expanded programming.
Across all Nielsen-rated networks, ESPN and ABC together accounted for 42% of all sports viewership last month, significantly surpassing their nearest competitor. ESPN itself represented 29% of all sports viewing in January. When considering both ESPN and ABC’s combined viewership, the Disney-owned networks experienced their highest viewership since January 2017.
ESPN’s strategy to enhance its live sports offerings is clearly yielding dividends in terms of viewership. While some focused on the less than stellar ratings of the College Football Playoff National Championship, which attracted 22 million viewers, many overlooked the potential for increased overall viewership due to the higher number of games. This trend indicates that airing more significant games effectively boosts audience engagement, helping ESPN set a new viewership record after a decade.
