ESPN networks scored a historic start to the fall sports season, delivering the second most-watched Labor Day Weekend in at least 30 years (records date back to 1995) and ESPN’s most-watched Labor Day Weekend since 2016. From Saturday, Aug. 30 through Monday, Sept. 1, fans consumed 16.8 billion minutes across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, up 25 percent year-over-year.
The stacked holiday slate featured standout performances across multiple properties, with several reaching all-time or multi-year highs based on average minute audience, including:
- College Football: ESPN networks posted their most-watched Kickoff Weekend on record, averaging 4.1 million viewers across 15 games, up 31 percent year-over-year. For the first time ever in a regular season weekend, three games on ABC surpassed 10 million viewers. More details.
- College GameDay: The premier college football pregame show delivered its most-watched episode ever, averaging 4.0 million viewers as fans tuned in for Lee Corso’s final show: More details.
- US Open Tennis: ESPN’s coverage continued to surge, with ABC’s Round of 16 averaging 2.2 million viewers, the most-watched Round of 16 telecast since 2015. The Third Round was up 15 percent year-over-year and drawing its best audience since 2022.
- College Volleyball: ESPN Events’ inaugural Broadway Block Party set a milestone with ESPN networks’ most-watched regular season college volleyball match ever, as Nebraska vs. Kentucky averaged 1.2 million viewers on ABC.
- Sunday Night Baseball: The Braves/Phillies matchup drew 1.9 million viewers, up 28 percent against last season’s Sunday Night Baseball average.
- SportsCenter: SportsCenter was up 8 percent from 2024, across 11 live episodes. Saturday morning’s show – which features live interviews with on-air ESPN personalities at the biggest college football games in the country – averaged 942,000 viewers, while SportsCenter with SVP on Monday night following TCU-UNC registered 1.2 million viewers.
- F1: Sunday’s Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix averaged 1.2 million viewers, the largest audience ever for the event. Viewership peaked at 1.3 million between 10:30-10:45 a.m. ET as Oscar Piastri drove to victory.
