A Look at Monday's Sports Studio Show Ratings
ShowBuzzDaily released the following viewership averages from the sports TV shows on Monday:
First Take — 325,000
5 p.m. SportsCenter — 264,000
12 p.m. SportsCenter — 216,000
NFL Live — 210,000
Around the Horn — 204,000
NASCAR Race Hub — 180,000
The Jump — 174,000
Get Up — 171,000
6 p.m. SportsCenter — 166,000
Highly Questionable — 155,000
Jalen & Jacoby — 152,000
Undisputed — 134,000
Speak for Yourself — 102,000
The Herd — 99,000
The positive comes from Race Hub, which drew more than several of the ESPN shows. With a dedicated, niche NASCAR following, Race Hub has quietly picked up real momentum since the return of racing. Last week, on Memorial Day, it ranked second in sports programming at 301,000. NASCAR talk will never garner the social media attention of the NFL and NBA, but sport-specific shows remain underutilized across the networks.
While all of the mainstream sports shows have been hard hit since the NBA's hiatus, First Take's numbers have remained strong. Its audience is drawn to hanging out with Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman — the topic-selection comes second. Though, First Take's reign as No. 1 will end the moment PTI returns to its traditional 5:30 airing (it's been airing inside the 5 p.m. SportsCenter).
NFL Live continues to hold up well in the offseason. As I've previously reported, ESPN is considering spicing it up this season. The show has the audience but struggles to make headlines. If better promoted online with a more consistent rotation, NFL Live would be stable in the daily lineup.
Viewership averages for all of the shows will rise this fall. But I'm expecting them to be down noticeably year-over-year as well as live sports. This upcoming election has the chance to be every bit as polarizing and talked-about as it was in 2016. On Monday, following a weekend of protests and riots, Tucker Carlson Tonight and Hannity drew nearly 6 million viewers back-to-back.
Disclosure: Outkick’s founder Clay Travis is an on-air personality at FS1.