The year 2025 may be the most significant in ESPN’s history since its inception in Bristol over forty years ago. Later this year, ESPN will introduce its brand new direct-to-consumer platform to tackle concerns surrounding cord cutting and the declining cable industry. The company is also exploring various equity deals and partnerships, notably with the NFL, as part of its effort to adapt to the streaming era. At the start of the year, ESPN finds itself with some positive momentum.
ESPN recently announced that it averaged an impressive 868,000 viewers across the first 90 days of 2025, marking its best average per-minute audience in the first quarter since 2017 and reflecting a remarkable 22% increase compared to the previous year, particularly in primetime.
ESPN delivered its most-watched Nielsen Quarter 1 (January – March) in eight years, achieving a substantial average of 868,000 viewers during each minute across these 90 days. This success reflects not only its best Nielsen Q1 viewership since 2017 but also a 15% increase within the Persons 18-49 demographic compared to Q1 2024.
In primetime (8-11 p.m. ET), ESPN averaged 2,299,000 viewers nightly, its highest Q1 figures since 2012, representing a 36% year-over-year increase.
The remarkable growth in viewership is largely attributed to the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff in 2025. ESPN capitalized on additional playoff games held on campus in late December and again in January, featuring high-profile teams like Ohio State, Texas, Notre Dame, and Penn State.
Another significant event was the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, an unpredictable hockey tournament involving the United States, Canada, Finland, and Sweden that captivated the sports world amidst shifting international relations. A staggering 9.3 million viewers watched the USA-Canada final, making it the largest hockey audience for a non-Olympic game in modern history. Over the last few years, ESPN has focused on investing heavily in major events, even letting go of long-held properties like Major League Baseball, a strategy that appears to be paying off in 2025.
