ESPN sees strongest H1 viewership since 2012
July 20, 2026
ESPN, the sports network, generated its most-watched first half of the year in more than a decade across the US as viewerss consumed a combined 288 billion minutes of sports content across ESPN and ESPN on ABC during Nielsen’s first half 2026 calendar period.
The total represents a 13 per cemt increase versus the same period last year and marks the strongest first-half performance since 2012. The momentum extended across multiple categories, including double-digit audience growth, in addition to the increased consumption figures.
- ESPN on ABC: Best first half since 2006, the last year ABC aired the Super Bowl, with 78 billion minutes, up 16 per cent YOY.
- ESPN Average Minute Audience: 800K, up 12 per cent YOY and ESPN’s best first half since 2016.
- ESPN in primetime: 2.1 million average viewers, the best since 2012, and up from 1.9 million average for the first half of 2025.
- Sports Minutes Watched: ESPN ranked first of any individual network with 19 per cent of sports minutes watched in the first half of 2026, just ahead of NBC’s 18%. ESPN’s networks accounted for 32 per cent of all sports viewing during the period.
During the first half of the year, ESPN networks also had their best June since 2016 for ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN on ABC and for ESPN and ESPN on ABC, as well as the best June since 2010 for ESPN on ABC.
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