ESPN, ABC Super Bowl Win? Most Watched

ESPN has set an ambitious target to produce the most-watched Super Bowl in history when it airs Super Bowl LXI on February 14, 2027.

NFL Live host Laura Rutledge announced the goal during Disney’s upfront presentation Tuesday. The current record stands at 127.71 million average viewers, set by Fox’s broadcast of the Eagles’ victory over the Chiefs in February 2025.

Delivering a record audience in its debut Super Bowl would deliver sweet revenge for ESPN and Disney. For years the network watched rivals Fox, CBS, and NBC collect hundreds of millions in ad revenue from the biggest TV event of the year. ESPN earned its place in the rotation with a new 10-year NFL rights deal signed in 2021.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made a rare appearance at the upfront, joining Joe Buck onstage — his only live appearance with any media partner this year — to highlight the game’s significance.With full Disney backing, ESPN is mounting a massive effort. 

Key elements of its strategy include:

Elite broadcast team: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, who called six Super Bowls together at Fox, will lead the booth after ESPN hired them in 2022. They will be joined by sideline reporters Laura Rutledge and Lisa Salters. ESPN reinforced its commitment by bringing former Super Bowl MVPs — including Aikman, Eli Manning, Steve Young, Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice and others — onstage at the Javits Center.

Broadest possible distribution: The game will simulcast on ABC. Spanish-language broadcasts will air on Univision and ESPN Deportes. Peyton and Eli Manning promoted the ManningCast on ESPN2.

Expanded alt-casts:  Plans call for more alternative broadcasts than ever, including the ManningCast, a potential Pat McAfee Show “Field Pass” version, and a Disney-produced animated KidsCast.

Favorable calendar timing; The Super Bowl falls the day before Presidents’ Day, giving most workers the following Monday off and potentially boosting late-night viewing.Breaking the existing record will be difficult, but ESPN is deploying every available resource for its first Super Bowl.