ESPN Ratings Buzz: December 29-January 4

If you would like to ask about or request ratings for a program or event on these networks, please reach Douglas on Twitter @SonOfTheBronx.

ESPN Top 10 (and Select) Programs

In total viewership for its entire week in Prime Time (8 p.m. to 11 p.m.), ESPN is up 6 percent (8.719 million vs. 8.203 million) from the same week one year ago (December 30, 2013-January 5, 2014).

In total viewership for its entire week in Total Day (6 a.m. to 5:59 a.m.), ESPN is up 42 percent (4.189 million vs. 2.947 million) from the same week one year ago (December 30, 2013-January 5, 2014).

Among Total Day viewership, this was ESPN’s most-watched week in its network history. ESPN’s programs took up 14 of cable’s 15 most-watched shows of the week; the lone non-ESPN entry in the top-15 belonged to ESPN2.

953,000 viewers watched the Tuesday, Dec. 30 live edition of “SportsCenter” (11:58 a.m.-1 p.m.) which featured the press conference from Ann Arbor, MI announcing former 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh as the new head coach of the Michigan Wolverines football team.

ESPN’s daily programs viewership averages for the week:

• “SportsCenter” (ESPN, Dec. 29-Jan. 4 late night): 1.540 million (prior week: 1.721 million)

ESPN2 Top 10 (and Select) Programs

In total viewership for its entire week in Prime Time (8 p.m. to 11 p.m.), ESPN2 is up 47 percent (443,000 vs. 301,000) from the same week one year ago (December 30, 2013-January 5, 2014).

In total viewership for its entire week in Total Day (6 a.m. to 5:59 a.m.), ESPN2 is up 15 percent (494,000 vs. 429,000) from the same week one year ago (December 30, 2013-January 5, 2014).

Upon news of Stuart Scott’s death on the morning of Jan. 4, the Sunday morning live edition of “SportsCenter” on ESPN2 — hosted by an understandably emotional Hannah Storm — which featured an extensive video tribute to the famed personality as well as several ESPN colleagues of Scott’s who had called in to offer their remembrances, delivered an average of 651,000 viewers. Comparatively from the week-ago telecast, it rose 197 percent in viewership (219,000 from Dec. 28, 2014 10 a.m.-1 a.m.).

ESPN2’s daily talkers’ viewership averages for the week:

• “Mike & Mike in the Morning” (ESPN2, Dec. 29-31, Jan. 2): 278,000
• “First Take” (ESPN2, Dec. 29-31, Jan. 2): 402,000
• “His & Hers” (ESPN2, Dec. 29): 362,000
• “NBA Tonight” (ESPN2, Dec. 29-31, Jan. 2-3): 194,000 (prior week: 214,000)

ESPNU Top 10 (and Select) Programs

In total viewership for its entire week in Prime Time (8 p.m. to 11 p.m.), ESPNU is down 3 percent (116,000 vs. 120,000) from the same week one year ago (December 30, 2013-January 5, 2014).

In total viewership for its entire week in Total Day (6 a.m. to 5:59 a.m.), ESPNU is down 22 percent (66,000 vs. 85,000) from the same week one year ago (December 30, 2013-January 5, 2014).

Viewership averages for the following ESPNU programs of the week:

• “The Herd” (Dec. 30-Jan. 2 10 a.m.-1 p.m.): 55,000 (prior week: 35,000)

ESPNEWS Top 10 (and Select) Programs

In total viewership for its entire week in Prime Time (8 p.m. to 11 p.m.), ESPNEWS is down 4 percent (105,000 vs. 109,000) from the same week one year ago (December 30, 2013-January 5, 2014).

In total viewership for its entire week in Total Day (6 a.m. to 5:59 a.m.), ESPNEWS is down 9 percent (71,000 vs. 78,000) from the same week one year ago (December 30, 2013-January 5, 2014).

For the week, ESPNEWS’s daily talkers “SVP & Russillo” (Dec. 30 & Jan. 2) averaged 66,000 viewers (prior week: 29,000) and “ESPN FC” (Dec. 29 & Jan. 1) averaged )5,000 (prior week: 41,000).

Source: Live+Same Day data, Nielsen Media Research