January’s tentpole events lifted ESPN to its most-watched month in the last decade.
According to a press release issued by the network on Monday, ESPN averaged 1.6 million viewers throughout the month of January per Nielsen, the network’s most-watched month since January of 2015.
January 2025 delivered stellar viewership for ESPN 🎉
More: https://t.co/taooqKtxwy pic.twitter.com/WbpfpSGsER
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) February 3, 2025
The success can largely be attributed to ESPN airing more marquee programming than in previous years. With the expansion of the College Football Playoff from four to 12 teams, ESPN aired four additional postseason games in the month of January (measured Dec. 30 – Jan. 26 by Nielsen) compared to previous years. Further, the network aired two NFL playoff games, including a Divisional Round game featuring the Kansas City Chiefs — one of just three NFL playoff games to increase its audience from last year.
Per ESPN, the network’s audience increased 38% versus last January, surely aided by the increased inventory.
Across all Nielsen-rated networks, ESPN and ABC accounted for 42% of all sports viewership last month, more than doubling the total share of its nearest competitor. ESPN alone accounted for 29% of all sports viewing in January.
When combining both ESPN and ABC’s viewership, the Disney-owned networks had their most-watched month since January of 2017.
ESPN’s emphasis on increasing its live sports portfolio is certainly paying off from a viewership perspective. Many were quick to point out the lackluster College Football Playoff National Championship ratings last month — a game that secured 22 million viewers. However, few talked about how the volume of games ESPN airs in the new format would greatly increase overall viewership for the network, regardless of how any single game performed.
These stats would seem to highlight that narrative. Turns out, airing a greater number of important games gets more people to watch your network. For ESPN, that meant breaking a 10-year record.
