ESPN Radio Reports Strong Ratings, TSL Increases

For the summer ratings book (June 20-September 11), ESPN Radio saw its audience in the men 25-54 demographic in PPM markets on terrestrial radio increase 4 percent over the same time period in 2018 during the 6 a.m.-6 p.m. weekday hours, according to Nielsen. The upward trend was aided by an increase in time spent listening, which was up 6 percent.

ESPN Radio’s morning drive show Golic and Wingo individually saw success for the summer book among M25-54 with a 5 percent gain on terrestrial radio on Nielsen subscribing stations in PPM markets over 2018. The show drove audiences to stay longer with a 17 percent increase in time spent listening for the same period.

The Stephen A. Smith Show enjoyed an audience increase for M25-54 across all platforms of 5 percent for the summer over 2018. The growth was led by a 29 percent increase for the show’s ESPNEWS simulcast. In September, The Stephen A. Smith Show’s audience grew 9 percent for M25-54 across all platforms year over year and saw a 42 percent increase for its television simulcast specifically.

The Will Cain Show also saw audience growth for the ratings book and the month of September. Both time periods were up 5 percent across all platforms with M25-54 from 2018. The show saw massive increases on terrestrial radio in PPM markets and in addition was added to the local lineup for ESPN Radio in Los Angeles. The Will Cain Show’s ESPNEWS simulcast was also up 18 percent and 17 percent for the month and summer book over 2018, respectively.

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz experienced double-digit percentage increases for its ESPNEWS simulcast audience, seeing a 28 percent gain for the month and 17 percent for the summer ratings window over 2018 for M25-54.