Report: ESPN Audio Accounts for Over Half of All Sports Listening

ESPN Audio was recently part of the 2019 Share of the Ear from Edison Research – a nationally representative study of over 4,000 people that measures their time spent listening. The survey found that the network accounts for 54 percent of all sports listening, an increase of 23 percent from the 2018 survey results.

ESPN holds a significant share in the digital sports audio space as well, accounting for 65 percent of listening in that category, up 21 percent from 2018.

“We are consistently driving to make ESPN Audio the best experience for fans by creating can’t-miss content and delivering it in customized, easily accessible ways,” said Scott McCarthy, vice president, ESPN Audio. “From terrestrial radio, to digital content and podcasts, this study shows our efforts are continuing to pay off and listeners have decided to spend even more of their valuable time with ESPN.”

Approximately 66 million people per week consumed ESPN Audio content last year, up 20 percent from 2018. Those listeners also increased their time spent listening with weekly numbers for ESPN Audio and ESPN Podcasts up 24 percent and 13 percent from 2018, respectively.

“ESPN continues to successfully engage listeners across platforms and grow its audience share year after year according to our study,” said Larry Rosin, Edison president. “They remain a major player in sports listening, this year reaching over one-fifth of Americans every week.”