Chris Mortensen, who covered football for ESPN, died March 3 in Birmingham, Alabama. He was 72. ESPN did not cite a cause of death, but Mortensen had battled throat cancer. 

“Mort was widely respected as an industry pioneer and universally beloved as a supportive, hard-working teammate,” Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of ESPN, said on ESPN.com. “He covered the NFL with extraordinary skill and passion, and was at the top of his field for decades. He will truly be missed by colleagues and fans, and our hearts and thoughts are with his loved ones.”

Mortensen was born in Torrance, California, in 1951 and attended El Camino College. He started as a sportswriter at The Daily Breeze in Torrance, in 1969, and stayed until 1983. 

Mortensen then moved to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, covering baseball and football. He left the Journal-Constitution in 1989 to join The National Sports Daily, and worked on the CBS pregame show The NFL Today in 1990. 

The National Sports Daily went out of business in 1991 and Mortensen joined ESPN, covering the NFL. He appeared on SportsCenter, Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday NFL Countdown. 

Among the many major NFL stories Mortensen broke was the retirement of Peyton Manning in 2016. 

In 2016, he received the Pro Football Writers of America’s Dick McCann Award and was honored during the Pro Football Hall of Fame's enshrinement ceremony.

Mortensen stepped down from ESPN in 2023 “to focus on my health, family and faith,” he said. 

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said on ESPN.com that Mortensen's death was a “sad day for everyone in the NFL.”

Mortensen wrote the book Playing for Keeps: How One Man Stopped the Mob from Sinking its Hooks into Pro Football.

NFL football continued to dominate TV viewing during the league’s divisional playoffs on Saturday and Sunday.

According to Inscape, the data unit of smart TV maker Vizio, the playoff games captured a 33.62% share of viewership during the weekend.

That’s an increase from last season, when the divisional playoff games generated a 27.48% share of viewing.

The NFL said that its divisional playoff games averaged 40 million viewers on traditional TV and digital — the highest number on record going back to 1988.

The Sunday Kansas City Chiefs-Buffalo Bills primetime game on CBS (with Taylor Swift in the building) averaged 50.4 million viewers, the most watched divisional or wild card game on record.

Saturday’s Green Bay Packers-San Francisco 49ers game averaged 37.5 million viewers, making it the most watched Saturday NFL playoff game.

The average over the four games on Saturday and Sunday was up 7% compared to a year ago and up 5% from the 2021-22 season, when the previous high was registered, according to Nielsen and first party.digital data.

Inscape said college basketball games grabbed the second-biggest share of viewing with 2.06%.

Postseason NFL Countdown on ESPN was the No.3 show over the weekend with a 1.62% share.

The big NFL weekend also gave ESPN’s SportsCenter a boost. SportsCenter over Saturday and Sunday had a 1.35% share, and jumped up to be the No. 4 show. The previous weekend, SportsCenter ranked No. 12 with a 0.67% share, according to Inscape.

SportsCenter anchor Neil Everett is departing ESPN. He’s been at the network for 23 years, and has co-hosted the late edition of SportsCenter from Los Angeles, with Stan Verrett, since 2009. 

Verrett shared on Twitter, “I started at espn in 2000, a few months after Neil Everett. We joined up for sportscenter from LA in 2009. For 14 years, he was the best teammate I could imagine. Selfless, caring, generous, and a pro’s pro. He’s moving on now, but we are brothers for life. That’ll never change.”

Everett told Front Office Sports, “ESPN changed my life, but now it’s time for me to change my life. Time to write a new chapter.“

Everett joined ESPN in 2000 as an anchor for ESPNews and SportsCenter. He came to ESPN after working for 15 years in Honolulu local TV, most recently at KGMB, the CBS affiliate where he was the sports director and weekday anchor. 

Before he started in television, Everett was assistant athletic director and sports information director at Hawaii Pacific University. 

An ESPN spokesperson told USA Today Everett’s contract was not renewed.

ESPN is bringing back its familiar "This Is SportsCenter" campaign with a new spot airing Friday during the Capital One Orange Bowl.

The new spot, dubbed "Orange Slices," features Megan Rapinoe, Becky Sauerbrunn and Sophia Smith of the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team, SportsCenter anchor Nicole Briscoe and Syracuse University mascot Otto the Orange.

ESPN said this is the first "This Is SportsCenter" promo since 2019 and more commercials in the campaign will air in 2023. Among those featured in upcoming ads are Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin and anchors Elle Duncan, Kevin Negandhi, Jay Harris and Hannah Storm. More mascots will be appearing as well.

"'This Is SportsCenter' is iconic, and a campaign that everyone knows and loves. It is at the core of who we are at ESPN, and we're thrilled it's returning at a key time in the sports calendar," Laura Gentile, executive VP, commercial marketing, Disney Networks & ESPN, said. "'This Is SportsCenter' featured timeless creative dating back to the mid-1990s, and it's our job to uphold this standard and build upon it in new ways." ■

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of Aug. 22-28, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

Another week of preseason games kept the National Football League at the top of our watch-time ranking. From August 22-28, the NFL sprinted to 2.57% of minutes watched, not too different from its 2.56% mark the previous week.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• The Little League Baseball World Series increased its watch-time to 1.36% (No. 2 overall) in its second week of action across ESPN, ABC and ESPN2.
• The PGA Tour Championship concluded with Rory McIlroy coming behind for the win, and the event scored 1.13% of watch-time in the process.
• Other week-over-week newcomers in our top 25 include "week zero" college football action (from N/A to No. 5), Chicago P.D. (from No. 28 to No. 18) and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (from No. 31 to No. 20).
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit continues its dominance as the most-watched scripted show, increasing minutes watched from 0.94% to 1.14% week-over-week.

NBC stays atop our list of most-watched networks for a third straight week, as the conclusion of the PGA Tour Championship helped power the network to No. 1 again. At 6.15%, NBC's share of watch-time was just barely above last week's (6.12%).

Additional insights around the most-watched networks from August 22-28:

• CBS gained ground by minutes watched, going from 5.80% to 6.14%, courtesy of NFL preseason action (among other programming).
• Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon pushed HBO to the spot just outside our ranking, at No. 26.
• Both INSP and TNT join this week’s ranking (at No. 23 and No. 24, respectively) after being absent the previous week.
• Friends helped power TBS to a one-spot jump from No. 18 to No. 17 in our ranking week-over-week, as the show accounted for nearly 26% of watch-time on the network.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

As the field narrows for the Little League World Series, the event jumps from No. 6 to No. 1 by TV ad impressions week-over-week. Nearly 48% of those appeared on ABC, while the rest were split between ESPN (primarily) and ESPN2.

More insights about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• Sports accounts for six of the top 10 spots in our ranking this week. Beyond the Little League World Series, the NFL (No. 2), SportsCenter (No. 5), college football (No. 6), MLB (No. 7) and PGA Tour Championship (No. 9) also appear.
• Two of the biggest risers in recent months have been Morning Joe (MSNBC) and Jesse Watters Primetime (Fox News), which have both gradually climbed the ad-impressions rankings after beginning the summer outside the top 25.
• America’s Got Talent qualifier rounds continue to deliver TV ad impressions, as the competition show grows modestly from 1.29% to 1.31% of impressions week-over-week.
• Good Morning America and Today each drop by one spot in our ranking week-over-week, despite both actually making slight week-over-week gains by share of TV ad impressions.

Fox News stays in the top spot in our TV-ad-impressions-by-network ranking for the ninth consecutive week. The network delivered 13.90% of impressions, down from 14.72% the previous week.

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions:

• ABC hops up one spot from No. 3 to No. 2 week-over-week, thanks in part to Little League World Series action (nearly 11% of TV ad impressions on the network during the timeframe).
• Both Telemundo and Univision delivered a higher share of TV ad impressions week-over-week, as Telemundo in particular is paced by Top Chef VIP (almost 26% of impressions).
• HGTV grew its share of TV ad impressions from 1.16% to 1.47% week-over-week, with new episodes of Help! I Wrecked My House leading the way (about one in seven impressions for the network).
• PGA Tour Championship coverage propelled Golf Channel from No. 20 to No. 15 week-over-week by share of TV ad impressions.

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of August 8-14, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

With preseason action now in full swing, the National Football League sprints to the top of our watch-time ranking. From August 8-14, the NFL scored 2.24% of minutes watched, up from 0.55% the previous week when there was only one game.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• In the lead-up to the annual Little League World Series, Little League baseball picked up 1.30% of watch-time while appearing on ESPN and ESPN2.
• Aligning with the FBI’s search of former President Trump’s residence, minutes-watched climbed week-over-week for Tucker Carlson Tonight (from No. 26 to No. 22) and Hannity (from No. 29 to No. 24).
• The FedEx St. Jude Championship, which was decided by a playoff on Sunday, propelled the PGA Tour from No. 17 to No. 8 by watch-time week-over-week.
• Chicago Fire syndicated airings jump from No. 32 to No. 14 week-over-week, barely trailing Chicago P.D. by watch-time.

NBC moves from No. 3 to No. 1 week-over-week on our list of most-watched networks. Thanks in part to the weekend’s PGA Tour action, the network tallied 6.13% of watch-time, which is up from 5.95% the previous week.

Additional insights around the most-watched networks from August 8-14:

• All three major cable news networks grew watch-time week-over-week as a result of Mar-a-Lago FBI search coverage. Fox News moves from No. 4 to No. 2, CNN jumps from No. 12 to No. 7, and MSNBC rises from No. 14 to No. 9.
• Preseason games fueled NFL Network's return to our ranking, appearing at No. 12 by minutes watched after being absent since spring's NFL Draft.
• Speaking of sports, NFL and MLB games helped push The CW’s modest jump from No. 24 to No. 22 by watch-time week-over-week.
• Instead of professionals, it was amateur players pacing ESPN’s run from No. 9 to No. 6 by watch-time week-over-week, as Little League baseball accounts for over 51% of the network’s minutes watched.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

Good Morning America keeps its No. 1 spot by TV ad impressions, delivering 2.39% from August 8-14 (up slightly from 2.35% the previous week).

More insights about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• Week one with a full NFL preseason slate elevated the league from No. 16 to No. 5 by TV ad impressions week-over-week.
• Sports-related programming accounts for five of the top 10 programs in our ranking, led by SportsCenter (1.95% of impressions), then MLB games (1.88%), NFL (1.61%), Little League baseball (1.53%) and PGA Tour golf (1.44%).
• With two episodes from August 8-14 (vs. one from Aug. 1-7), America’s Got Talent leaps from No. 22 to No. 12 by TV ad impressions week-over-week.
• Daytime soap operas account for four of the top 25 programs by TV ad impressions, including The Young and The Restless (No. 8), Days of Our Lives (No. 18), General Hospital (No. 23) and The Bold and The Beautiful (No. 24).

Fox News retains its spot at No. 1 in our TV-ad-impressions-by-network ranking for the seventh week in a row. In part due to weekend coverage of the Trump FBI search, the network delivered 14.09% of impressions, up from 13.46% the previous week.

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions:

• Coinciding with cable news viewership rising, TV ad impressions also climbed across the three major networks. Combined ad impressions for Fox News, MSNBC and CNN were 28.63% of TV – versus 24.87% the previous week.
• Preseason games pushed NFL Network to 5.4x more TV ad impressions week-over-week, as the network sits at No. 10 in our ranking for Aug. 8-14.
• Fox TV ad impressions climb from 1.48% to 1.91% week-over-week, as MLB impressions nearly double on the network week-over-week.
• NBC increases TV ad impressions week-over-week from 10.64% to 10.73%, thanks in part to America’s Got Talent and golf.

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of August 1-7, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

After a one-week hiatus, Major League Baseball scores the most TV watch-time again. From August 1-7, MLB games collected 1.10% of minutes watched, which is up from 0.92% the previous week.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• Chicago P.D. -- one of four crime procedurals in our ranking’s top 10 spots -- jumps from No. 28 to No. 8 by watch-time week-over-week.
• The National Football League returned with just one preseason game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars, which is enough to land at No. 10 in our ranking.
• After not being listed among the top 50 programs by watch-time the previous week, syndicated airings of The Golden Girls soar to No. 19.
• Speaking of syndication, Seinfeld reruns make modest gains week-over-week from 0.37% to 0.40% of minutes watched, fueling a move from No. 29 to No. 24 in our ranking.

CBS remains atop our list of most-watched networks for the third week in a row, with 6.15% of watch-time (down slightly from 6.24% the previous week). CBS minutes watched were led by CBS Mornings (7.76%), followed closely by The Price Is Right (7.72%).

Additional insights around the most-watched networks from August 1-7:

• HGTV hops from No. 9 to No. 7 week-over-week in our ranking, led by airings of My Lottery Dream Home and Love It or List It.
• USA Network grows week-over-week watch-time from 1.61% to 1.70%, with over a third of those minutes attributable to syndicated airings of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
• TNT is the lone week-over-week newcomer in our ranking, as NCIS: New Orleans reruns help fuel a move from No. 28 to No. 25.
• Bravo is buoyed by the Below Deck series of programs (with over 35% of the network’s watch-time), as it floats from No. 22 to No. 20 week-over-week.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

Good Morning America holds onto its No. 1 spot by TV ad impressions, delivering 2.35% from August 1-7 (down slightly from 2.37% the previous week).

More data about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• MLB games (2.15% of impressions) and SportsCenter (1.94%) are the only sports-related programming among the top 10.
• The NFL’s annual Hall of Fame Game accounts for 1.12% of TV ad impressions – No. 16 on the week.
• CMA Fest rides country music interest to No. 15 this week after airing on ABC.
• Big Brother TV ad impressions jump from No. 15 to No. 11 week-over-week as the show’s contestant pool continues to narrow.

Fox News sits at No. 1 in our TV-ad-impressions-by-network ranking for the sixth consecutive week, delivering 13.46% of impressions (down slightly from 13.55% the previous week).

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions:

• ABC grows its share of TV ad impressions from 11.82% to 12.69% week-over-week, thanks in part to CMA Fest, along with its usual slate of news-related programming.
• MLB Network leaps into the top 10 (up from No. 12 week-over-week), as advertisers benefited from increased fan interest due to the trade deadline.
• USA Network delivers over 57% of its TV ad impressions over the weekend due in large part to interest in NASCAR events and the AIG Women’s Open (golf).
• Lifetime is a week-over-week newcomer in our ranking, moving from No. 26 to No. 20, due in part to Married at First Sight (33.01% of Lifetime’s TV ad impressions on the week).

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of July 4-10, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

Wimbledon wins watch-time for a second straight week as audiences watched Novak Djokovic collect the men’s singles title, while Elena Rybakina took home the women’s singles championship. The event accounted for 1.60% of minutes watched from July 4-10, up from 1.30% the previous week.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• Shows in syndication are big movers week-over-week, as Chicago Fire leaps from No. 30 to No. 9, Chicago P.D. hops from No. 24 to No. 12, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives pulls in at No. 13 (from No. 28), and Seinfeld climbs from No. 32 to No. 14.
• AMC’s Breaking Bad marathon helped the show break into the top 25 in our ranking with 0.42% of watch-time (after not being listed at all the previous week).
• Below Deck Mediterranean sails to an appearance at No. 18 in our ranking – thanks to its season seven premiere -- after not appearing among the top 50 from June 27-July 3.
• The Scottish Open pushes the PGA Tour’s minutes watched up from 0.52% to 0.74% week-over-week.

CBS is newly atop our list of most-watched networks, with 5.80% of watch-time from July 4-10. The network benefits primarily from the Scottish Open, its usual slate of daytime programming and Big Brother’s season 24 premiere.

Additional insights around the most-watched networks from July 4-10:

• ESPN jumps from No. 10 to No. 6 week-over-week, thanks in part to Wimbledon and Major League Baseball.
• Hallmark moves from No. 11 to No. 7 by watch-time week-over-week on the strength of syndicated shows like The Golden Girls, Reba and Frasier (among others).
• FX springs from No. 33 to No. 17 week-over-week, leaning on a Marvel movie marathon to coincide with the theatrical release of Thor: Love & Thunder, plus episode five of hit Jeff Bridges drama The Old Man.
• TNT shifts from No. 24 to No. 21 week-over-week, with audiences flocking to syndicated airings of NCIS: New Orleans, in particular.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

MLB TV ad impressions are climbing at the season’s midway point. For the week of July 4-10, live games accounted for 2.71% of impressions -- up from 2.00% of impressions the previous week.

More data about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• On the week, 15 of the top 25 shows by impressions are news- and talk-focused, led by Good Morning America at No. 2 (2.39% of all impressions).
• Big Brother’s 24th season premiered to 0.86% of impressions, which was 25th among all programs.
• ABC World News Tonight with David Muir moves from No. 6 to No. 4 week-over-week, increasing its share of impressions from 1.68% to 1.96%.
• Even with fewer matches week-over-week, Wimbledon didn’t lose much by share of impressions -- going from 1.48% during June 27-July 3, to 1.46% from July 4-10.

Fox News is No. 1 again in our ad-impressions-by-network ranking, delivering 12.44% of impressions on the week -- down slightly from 13.0% from June 27-July 3.

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions:

• ABC hops from No. 4 to No. 3, with Good Morning America accounting for 22.70% of the network’s impressions for the week.
• While Univision remains at No. 5 week-over-week, the network increases its share of impressions from 5.97% to 6.52%, fueled in part by primetime programs, which account for nearly 35% of Univision’s impressions.
• Fox Sports 1 flies from No. 24 to No. 17 in our ranking week-over-week, due in part to its typical slate of sports talk shows, plus MLB action and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
• USA Network leans on sports programming like the NASCAR Cup Series and Tour De France for its rise by share of TV ad impressions, from 1.44% to 1.56% week-over-week.

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of June 27-July 3, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

Wimbledon action drives a watch-time win for tennis, as the event soars to 1.30% of minutes watched with the tournament field narrowing. That’s No. 1 among all programs from June 27-July 3.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• Morning shows are on the rise week-over-week, with Good Morning America climbing from No. 6 to No. 4, Today moving from No. 8 to No. 6, and CBS Mornings progressing from No. 19 to No. 17.
• Marathons drive week-over-week newcomers in our ranking, with Below Deck soaring to No. 9 and Yellowstone jumping to No. 10 (after neither appeared among the top 50 the previous week).
• Feuding fuels more watch-time, as Family Feud hops from No. 23 to No. 20 week-over-week, while Celebrity Family Feud is new to our ranking at No. 21.
• On the week, six different procedurals appear among the 25 most-watched shows, with Blue Bloods notably hopping from No. 32 to No. 22.

ABC stays atop our list of most-watched networks, with 5.94% of watch-time from June 27-July 3. That barely beats out CBS (5.90% of watch-time) for the No. 1 spot, as ABC benefits from its typical morning and daytime programming, plus Wimbledon.

Additional insights around the most-watched networks from June 27-July 3:

• Paramount Network leans into Yellowstone reruns to power a week-over-week jump from No. 35 to No. 21 in our ranking.
• Bravo’s own Below Deck marathon helps set up the network’s move from No. 28 to No. 25 by watch-time week-over-week.
• History drives from No. 22 to No. 19 by minutes watched week-over-week, due in part to coverage of the Barrett-Jackson Live Auction car event from Las Vegas.
• HGTV makes modest gains, jumping from No. 9 to No. 8 week-over-week, with a boost from new House Hunters episodes, plus a Love It Or List It marathon.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

Good Morning America wakes up as the top program by TV ad impressions for the week of June 27-July 3, with 2.59% of the total. The show was No. 2 the week before, with 2.42% of impressions.

More data about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• From June 27-July 3, five of the top 10 programs were morning shows, with Today’s third hour making the biggest jump – from 1.10% of impressions to 1.41% week-over-week.
• Wimbledon is a hit for impressions, as the tennis event scores 1.48% for the week across both ABC and ESPN.
• Telemundo’s La Casa de los Famosos soars from No. 27 to No. 11 week-over-week as advertisers flocked to week 8 of the popular reality show’s second season.
• This week’s ranking features four different daytime soap operas: The Young and the Restless (No. 5), General Hospital (No. 17), Days of Our Lives (No. 23) and The Bold and the Beautiful (No. 24).

Fox News is No. 1 in our ad-impressions-by-network ranking, grabbing 13.0% of impressions. That’s up from 12.76% the previous week, when the cable network was No. 2 behind ABC.

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions:

• CBS increases from 10.53% to 11.34% of impressions week-over-week, thanks in large part to daytime programming, which accounts for 42.74% of the network’s impressions on the week.
• NBC moves from No. 4 to No. 3 week-over-week in our ranking, with Today and Today’s third hour combining for over 32% of the network’s weekly impressions.
• As baseball nears the All-Star Break, interest heats up for MLB Network, which increases share of impressions week-over-week from 1.88% to 2.39%.
• Ancient Aliens: Declassified delivers 21.57% of impressions for History Channel (No. 18 in our ranking), while the Barrett-Jackson Live Auction is No. 2 with 19.57%.

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of June 20-26, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

The Stanley Cup Final concluded on Sunday, as the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games. From June 20-26, the exciting series led the way, with 1.45% of all minutes watched.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• As the field narrows for the Men’s College World Series, the event is earning more watch-time, jumping up to No. 3 in our ranking (up from No. 8 the previous week).
• Thursday night’s NBA Draft netted 0.48% of watch-time on the week — good for No. 17 overall.
• Family Feud climbs from No. 27 to No. 23 week-over-week, courtesy of a consistent presence on Game Show Network.
• Chicago Fire stays hot, even weeks after season 10 has concluded, landing at No. 14 by watch-time despite only airing syndicated episodes.

ABC stays at the top of our list of most-watched networks in part due to the Stanley Cup Final, which played four games in primetime from June 20-26. The network accounts for 6.31% of watch-time, which is down from 8.17% the week before.

Additional insights around the most-watched networks from June 20-26:

• Airing the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship helped CBS leapfrog NBC for No. 2 in our ranking, with 5.96% on the week.
• CNN increases minutes watched from 1.72% to 1.99% week-over-week, leading to a jump from No. 13 to No. 10 by most-watched networks.
• BET flies into our ranking after Sunday’s 2022 BET Awards, increasing watch-time from 0.84% to 1.10% week-over-week.
• History Channel moves from No. 26 to No. 22 by minutes watched week-over-week, on a steady diet of reality shows like Pawn Stars, American Pickers and Alone (among others).

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

The week of June 20-26 concludes with the NHL’s Stanley Cup Final as the top program by impressions, with 3.91% of the total. That’s more than a 2.33x week-over-week increase for the series, which also broadcast twice as many games this week versus last.

More data about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• Morning shows deliver a larger share of impressions week-over-week, with Good Morning America climbing from 2.09% to 2.42%, and Today moving from 1.65% to 1.97%.
• MLB games catch a larger share of impressions on the week, with 1.79% – propelling a jump from No. 9 to No. 5 in our ranking.
• The 2022 BET Awards soar to No. 15 by impressions, courtesy of a live simulcast across Paramount cable networks including BET, BET Her, Pop, TV Land and more.
• The NASCAR Cup Series grabs the No. 25 spot in our ranking, as the Ally 400 and race qualifying account for 0.84% of the week’s impressions.

ABC parks in the No. 1 spot for another week in our ad-impressions-by-network ranking, collecting 12.76% of impressions (down from 17.23% the previous week, which featured both the Stanley Cup Final and NBA Finals).

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions:

• Fox News Channel hops from No. 3 to No. 2 week-over-week, with 24.46% of impressions delivered during the early fringe daypart.
• While Fox News’s share of impressions increased slightly week-over-week (from 11.74% to 11.75%), it was part of a trend for cable news as MSNBC’s grew from 6.00% to 6.27% and CNN went from 5.10% to 5.36%.
• The Men’s College World Series helped power ESPN2 from No. 17 to No. 13 week-over-week as the tournament field narrowed to the final teams.
• Hallmark Channel springs from No. 32 to No. 23 by impressions week-over-week, thanks in large part to the premiere of TV movie Two Tickets to Paradise, starring Ashley Williams and Ryan Paevey.

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of June 13-19, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

U.S. Open coverage scored with TV audiences over the weekend, picking up 2.71% of all minutes watched to lead the way from June 13-19. The event appeared on both NBC and USA Network from Thursday through Sunday.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• Games five and six of the NBA Finals combined for 1.97% of watch-time, as the Golden State Warriors eliminated the Boston Celtics to win the championship on Thursday.
• Interest was high for live sports on the week, with Major League Baseball climbing from No. 7 to No. 5 by minutes watched, and the 2022 Men’s College World Series and the Stanley Cup Finals both appearing among the top 10 programs as well.
• Law & Order returns to our weekly rankings, hopping from No. 35 to No. 20 week-over-week by watch-time.
• MSNBC’s coverage of the Jan. 6 hearings was a hit in primetime, as The January 6th Hearings: The House Investigates tallies 0.43% of minutes watched (24th in our ranking).

ABC remains on top of our list of most-watched networks thanks in part to both the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Finals. While the NBA’s champion was crowned, the Stanley Cup is just getting started as the Colorado Avalanche take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. The network scored 8.17% of watch-time – up from 7.30% the previous week.

Additional insights around the most-watched networks from June 13-19:

• U.S. Open coverage helped spring NBC up from No. 3 to No. 2 week-over-week, while USA moves from No. 12 to No. 11.
• MSNBC’s primetime airings of the Jan. 6 hearing helped move the network from No. 13 to No. 10 by watch-time week-over-week.
• Paramount Network climbs from No. 34 to No. 23 by minutes watched week-over-week, as the network continues to lean into Yellowstone.
• FX and INSP are also newcomers to our top 25 network rankings this week, with the former receiving a boost from Jeff Bridges drama The Old Man.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

The NBA Finals hang onto the impressions lead for one more week, securing 2.65 billion (6.14% of the total) over the series’ final two games. That edged out the U.S. Open for the top spot, as the golf event sits second with 2.33 billion (5.40% of the week’s impressions).

More data about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• News and talk continue to deliver a large share of impressions on TV, accounting for 16 of the top 25 programs in our ranking from June 13-19.
• Speaking of news, impressions for CBS Mornings rise 16% week-over-week as the program climbs from No. 15 to No. 10 in our ranking.
• ABC World News Tonight With David Muir also witnesses its own impressions jump, up nearly 20% week-over-week.
• With the field narrowed to the final two teams, the NHL moves from No. 17 to No. 6 in our ranking.

ABC stays at No. 1 for another week in our ad-impressions-by-network ranking, scoring 17.24% of impressions. That’s up from 14.14% the previous week.

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions:

• U.S. Open TV ad impressions helped fuel a 27% week-over-week increase for NBC (plus a 203% climb for USA Network, which also aired portions of the tournament).
• For the second consecutive week, three of the top six networks by impressions served are cable news channels (Fox News at No. 3, MSNBC at No. 5 and CNN at No. 6).
• As baseball interest rises, so do MLB Network TV ad impressions – climbing 11% week-over-week.
• Bravo leaps from No. 23 to No. 19 by impressions, on the strength of various Real Housewives franchise programs, among others.

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of June 12, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

The NBA Finals remained appointment viewing as games three and four combined to secure 1.58% of all minutes watched from June 6-12. It’s the second straight week the series between the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors is No. 1 by watch-time among all programs.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• College baseball is a hit, with minutes watched climbing from No. 11 to No. 3 week-over-week as the postseason continues to narrow.
• Fox News programs Fox & Friends and America’s Newsroom end a one-week hiatus outside of the top 25 in our ranking, landing at No. 14 and No. 20 this week, respectively.
• Even after its season nine finale, Chicago P.D. climbs from No. 37 to No. 15 by watch-time as audiences catch up on ION and USA Network.
• Speaking of Chicago, Chicago Fire roars from No. 21 to No. 8 week-over-week, via its own ION and USA syndication play.

ABC stays atop the list of most-watched networks, in part due to the NBA Finals. The network had 7.30% of watch-time on the week, up slightly from 7.23% from May 30-June 5 as audiences also tuned into ABC’s coverage of the Jan. 6 hearings in primetime on Thursday.

Additional insights around the most-watched networks from June 6-12:

• USA springs from No. 16 to No. 12 by watch-time week-over-week, on a steady dose of syndicated procedurals plus WWE Monday Night Raw.
• MSNBC moves from No. 19 to No. 16 in our ranking, in part due to increased Thursday viewership around the Jan. 6 hearings.
• ESPN2 jumps from No. 32 to No. 17 week-over-week, via NCAA coverage including college baseball, the Women’s College World Series and the NCAA Track and Field Championships.
• The latest episode of Little People, Big World helped lift TLC from No. 20 to No. 17 week-over-week in our watch-time rankings.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

As the NBA Finals continue, the series once again nets the most TV ad impressions on the week, with 2.08 billion – 4.8% of the total. That’s down slightly from the previous week (5.3% of the total) as the final minutes of each game have become increasingly one-sided in the series.

More data about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• College baseball doubles impressions week-over-week as the field gets close to the final eight teams headed to Omaha for the College World Series.
• ABC World News Tonight With David Muir is one of several news programs to increase impressions week-over-week, along with Fox & Friends, America’s Newsroom and NBC Nightly News With Lester Holt, among others.
• Resuming its five-episodes-per-week schedule after taking Memorial Day off the previous week, The View sees impressions increase by 33.8% week-over-week.
• Speaking of news and talk shows, they made up 14 of the top 25 programs by impressions in our ranking for June 6-12.

ABC remains No. 1 in our ad-impressions-by-network ranking, with 14.14% of impressions on the week. The NBA Finals accounted for 33.5% of those as advertisers continue to benefit from a tight series through four games.

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions:

• Fox News increased impressions by more than 14% week-over-week.
• CNN and MSNBC both saw impressions leap thanks to Jan. 6 hearings coverage – as the former jumped by 10.8% and the latter by 31.8% week-over-week.
• Fox Sports 1 delivered more impressions on the week than Fox, via NASCAR Cup Series and UEFA Nations Cup action.
• CNBC hops from No. 26 to No. 20 in our ranking week-over-week, as stock market concerns continued to fuel greater interest in business-focused news.

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of May 30-June 5, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

The NBA Finals are just two games in, but that’s enough to secure a watch-time lead for the association’s championship round. Games one and two between the Boston Celtics and Golden States Warriors combined for 1.68% of all minutes watched from May 30-June 5 — No. 1 among all programs during the timeframe.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• French Open action swings to No. 2 by watch-time as audiences watched Rafael Nadal take the men’s title (the 14th time he’s done so), while Iga Świątek won her second French Open in three tries.
• Our rankings are littered with live sports, especially at the top. Beyond the NBA Finals and French Open, the NHL (No. 4), MLB (No. 7) and PGA Tour (No. 9) all finish in the top 10 as well.
• Seinfeld soars to No. 18 in our rankings thanks to a Comedy Central marathon, after not appearing among the top 50 programs by watch-time the previous week.
• Among the other syndicated sitcoms included in this week’s rankings: Friends (No. 12), The Golden Girls (No. 20) and Two and a Half Men (No. 23).

ABC leaps to the top spot as the most-watched network, thanks in part to the NBA Finals. The network had 7.23% of watch-time on the week, up from 6.14% from May 23-29, when it placed third in our rankings.

Additional insights around the most-watched networks from May 30-June 5:

• HGTV climbs the ladder into the top 10 in our rankings, as audiences tuned into an abundance of Love It or List It episodes.
• Hallmark Channel also hops into the top 10 by minutes watched with an assist from the premiere of new movie Hidden Gems.
• History Channel bounds from No. 25 to No. 18 by watch-time week-over-week, in part due to a two-night documentary on Theodore Roosevelt.
• Paramount Network continues to lean into hit show Yellowstone, fueling a modest move from No. 23 to No. 21 by minutes watched week-over-week.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

The NBA Finals scored the most TV ad impressions on the week, with 2.23 billion — 5.3% of the total. Those impressions are up nearly 40% year-over-year compared to the first two games of last year’s Finals, which took place in early July.

More data about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• Despite the short week with the Memorial Day holiday, Good Morning America still increased TV ad impressions by over 6% compared to the previous week.
• MLB impressions increased by 63.7% week-over-week despite just four additional minutes of ad time (but this week featured action on ESPN, while the previous week had games on ESPN2 instead).
• The French Open’s later rounds led to more TV ad impressions, as the event delivered 175% more week-over-week.
• America’s Got Talent’s 17th season premiered on NBC on May 31, to the tune of 364.4 million impressions (0.86% of the total for the week and No. 18 in our ranking).

ABC nabs the top spot in our ad-impressions-by-network ranking, with 15.53 of impressions on the week. The NBA Finals accounts for over 32% of those after airing in primetime on Thursday night and Sunday night, respectively.

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions:

• With new episodes almost nightly, La Casa de los Famosos helped fuel Telemundo’s move from No. 11 to No. 9 by impressions week-over-week.
• College baseball and the Women’s College World Series combined for almost 29% of TV ad impressions on ESPN2, pushing the network from No. 17 to No. 14 by impressions week-over-week.
• Lifetime more than doubled impressions week-over-week, thanks in part to the most recent “where are they now?” episode of Married at First Sight (30% of Lifetime impressions on the week).
• Bravo impressions rose by 29% week-over-week as the Real Housewives of Dubai premiered as the newest addition to the successful franchise.

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of May 23-29, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

With conference finals concluded, the NBA once again keeps its watch-time lead with 2.81% of all minutes watched from May 23-29. That’s up from 2.69% the previous week despite fewer games, as the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors both secured trips to the NBA Finals.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• Beyond the NBA, live sports remains hot, making up seven of the top 25 programs – including the NHL (No. 3), college softball (No. 9), college baseball (No. 11), PGA Tour golf (No. 13), French Open tennis (No. 15) and MLB (No. 16).
• Good Morning America and Today both make week-over-week moves by minutes watched, with the former jumping from No. 7 to No. 4 in our ranking.
• “Regular” SportsCenter is joined by SportsCenter With Scott Van Pelt in our ranking. The two combined for 1.29% of minutes watched from May 23-29.
• NCIS moves from No. 6 to No. 2 in our ranking week-over-week, securing 0.90% watch-time.

CBS keeps the top spot as the most-watched network, thanks in part to the PGA Tour’s Charles Schwab Challenge, which featured Sam Burns besting Scottie Scheffler in a playoff. The network had 6.61% of watch-time on the week.

Additional insights around the most-watched networks from May 23-29:

• Watch-time increased for both CNN and MSNBC amid coverage of the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
• In anticipation of Memorial Day cookouts, Food Network leaned into holiday-specific content – and saw total minutes watched rise from 1.23% to 1.36% week-over-week.
• Yellowstone wins again as Paramount Network climbs from No. 40 to No. 23 by watch-time week-over-week thanks in large part to marathon viewing of the show.
• NBC and ABC flip-flop as the former benefits from the Indy 500 (among other programming) to hop from No. 3 to No. 2 in our ranking week-over-week.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

NBA TV ad impressions rose by over 6% week-over-week, with the conference finals delivering 3.25 billion impressions – or nearly 3.5 times more impressions than the nearest program (SportsCenter).

More data about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• With an assist from its two-part season 18 finale, Grey’s Anatomy arrives in our ranking at No. 25 by impressions, after finishing outside the top 50 the previous week.
• Speaking of finales, Survivor wrapped up season 42 and delivered 0.95% of TV ad impressions on the week (No. 18 in our ranking).
• National MLB game TV ad impressions climbed by nearly 5% week-over-week, while minutes of advertising climbed by slightly more (over 7% on the week).
• Today made big moves week-over-week, as impressions soared by almost 15% week-over-week, and the show’s third hour saw a 16% climb.

CBS leads our ad-impressions-by-network ranking once again, with 14.37% of impressions on the week. Quiz and giveaway shows (including The Price Is Right and Let’s Make A Deal) account for close to 20% of the network’s impressions for the week.

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions:

• ESPN jumps from 6.3% to 7.7% of TV ad impressions week-over-week, with the NBA and NHL combining for nearly half of the network’s impressions from May 23-29.
• Discovery Channel boosts impressions by 18.7% week-over-week, leaning on new episodes of shows such as Expedition Unknown: Uncovered, Deadliest Catch and Street Outlaws: America’s List.
• Spanish-language networks Univision, Telemundo, and Galavision all make week-over-week gains by impressions share of voice, with Univision leading the way at 4.46% (No. 7 overall).
• History Channel climbs to No. 22 in our ranking (up from No. 24 the previous week), with TV ad impressions for The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch nearly doubling week-over-week.

There was plenty of TV for audiences to watch in 2021, but what were they tuned into most? We use data from Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs, to measure what was driving viewership across linear, live TV.

Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching). Included below are some of the highlights from the year in TV, plus the top 25 programs by watch-time.

Winner’s Circle

The NFL and college football get top billing for 2021, capitalizing on an attentive audience throughout the fall season. NFL games are the most-watched programming of the year, with 2.7% of all minutes watched, while college football is second, with 1.3%.

Beyond football, other sports-related programs also piled up watch-time. NBA games are No. 4 by minutes watched on the year (at 0.76%), while SportsCenter is sixth (0.70%) and the Tokyo Olympics are seventh (0.66%). MLB games are just outside the top 10, at No. 11 overall.

Reruns Get Rewatched

Syndicated shows aren’t old news just because they’re “old” episodes. Audiences tune into previous episodes of favorite shows as a form of comfort food, as is the case with various programs among 2021’s most-watched.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Friends and Chicago P.D. are all among the top 10 by watch-time (No. 3, No. 9 and No. 10, respectively), and in total, 13 of the top 25 shows by minutes watched are all in some form of syndication on TV. Also just missing the list are other favorites like Golden Girls (No. 26, at 0.33% of watch-time); Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (No. 30); Family Feud (No. 32); and Home Town (No. 33).

Also: NBC Bringing Back ‘Law & Order’

Newsworthy

News-related programs are also a fixture in terms of piling up minutes watched. Of the 25 most-watched shows, seven involve some sort of news element, led by Good Morning America with 0.73% of minutes watched. On the year, 12 of the top 40 shows by watch-time are either news or talk (or both), and half of those appear on cable networks.

Also: For Cable News, Real Disruption Finally Arrives

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This is a quick snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of March 29 through April 4, revealing the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and the top shows and networks by TV ad impressions with insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 17 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

Unsurprisingly, March Madness games captured the most watch-time for the week, accounting for 2.95% of all live, linear minutes. Meanwhile, MLB baseball, which just kicked off its season, took fourth place with 0.88% of minutes watched, and SportsCenter zoomed up the ranking into No. 7 from No. 22 the previous week. Other shows that had notable week-over-week rankings increases included Law & Order (0.48%, up from No. 30 to No. 17) and SpongeBob SquarePants (0.44% of minutes watched, at No. 19 from No. 26 previously).

On the network ranking, CBS was in first place once again, but saw a week-over-week decrease in the percent of minutes watched, down to 7.51% from 8.27%. NBC moved into second place (7.01%), followed by ABC (6.70%), Fox News (4.02%) and Fox (3.74%). Multiple networks moved up the ranking from the previous week including CNN, ESPN, ION, Investigation Discovery and Food Network, while HGTV, TBS, USA, TNT and Univision dropped positions from the week before.

Also Read: Just How Much of a Slam Dunk Has March Madness Been on Live TV?

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

College basketball continued its domination, racking up 3.7 billion TV ad impressions during the week. American Idol broke into the top five with 659.7 million impressions, beating MLB games, which generated 589 million impressions. The Price Is Right and The Young and the Restless were the only other non-sports or news programs to make the top 10. NBA basketball, which was in fifth place for impressions the previous week, dropped to No. 10 (470.5 million impressions); PGA Tour golf also slipped down the ranking, from No. 2 to No. 14 (427.5 million impressions).

The top of the network ranking was stable week-over-week, led by CBS (8.1 billion TV ad impressions), ABC (5.4 billion) and NBC (4.7 billion). March Madness games accounted for over 34% of the impressions on CBS, while morning news shows were top drivers of impressions for both ABC and NBC (GMA and Today, respectively). MLB Network gained steam from the previous week, rising up to No. 12 with 559.8 million impressions. On the flip side, Golf dropped from No. 12 to No. 17, generating 377.8 million impressions during the period measured. Headline News was a ranking newcomer, with 58% of its 362.2 million impressions coming from The Death of George Floyd: Derek Chauvin on Trial.

This is a quick snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of Mar. 15-21, revealing the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and the top shows and networks by TV ad impressions with insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 17 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

March Madness captured the most watch-time during the week by far, accounting for 6.65% of all minutes, with 3.17% coming from games broadcast on CBS. Other sports-related programming that rose up the ranking included NBA basketball, PGA Tour golf and SportsCenter. Police procedurals Chicago P.D., Blue Bloods and NCIS moved up the chart, while shows that slipped week-over-week included Friends, Two and a Half Men, Home Town and The Voice. 

Also Read: NCAA March Madness Tourney Generating Record Ad Sales, Execs Say

The 2021 NCAA Basketball Tournament helped propel CBS into first place, with the network capturing 8.25% of all minutes watched during the week. March Madness also fueled a few other networks’ move up the ranking, including TBS (2.75% of watch-time), TNT (2.10%) and truTV (1.07%). Bravo got a slight bump up, taking No. 22 with 1.13% of minutes watched, thanks in part to reruns of Below Deck Mediterranean.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

Thanks to March Madness, college basketball games generated an astounding 9.3 billion TV ad impressions — nearly as many as CBS had in total for new episodes (10.1 billion). It was the only programming to receive over a billion impressions for the week; Good Morning America took second place with 883.3 million, a 15.92% increase from the previous week. The Bachelor saw an 81.89% week-over-week increase in impressions, up to 567.4 million, while The Voice’s 430.6 million impressions constituted a 26.76% decrease from the previous week.

CBS had nearly twice as many TV ad impressions (10.1 billion) as the second-place network, ABC (5.2 billion), and half of those impressions came from college basketball. MSNBC saw a 59.73% increase in impressions week-over-week, up to 3.1 billion and edging out CNN (2.5 billion impressions). After a week off the ranking, TBS came back strong with 2.3 billion impressions, primarily fueled by March Madness games. TNT and truTV also benefited from the tournament, with 1.5 billion and 840 million impressions, respectively.

This is a quick snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of Oct. 19-25, revealing the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and the top shows and networks by TV ad impressions with insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks 

Via Vizio’s Inscape, the TV data company with insights from a panel of more than 16 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

Once again sports led for watch-time: NFL games captured 6.70% of the minutes watched last week, followed by the 2020 World Series (3.33%) and college football (1.53%). Various news programs also rose up in the rankings, and it’s worth noting that all of the shows that didn’t see week-over-week rankings changes were Fox News programs. The Voice, which had its two-night premiere on Oct. 19 and 20, jumped into 12th place with 0.57% of the minutes watched.

Fox took No. 1 on the network ranking for the second week in a row (10.09%), thanks in part to NFL and World Series games. NBC rose into second place with 8.19% of the minutes watched, partially fueled by NFL games and The Voice. Multiple cable networks also moved up, including two ranking newcomers: Hallmark Movies & Mysteries (0.92%) and TV Land (0.86%).

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

TV ad impressions for NFL games jumped up 26.83% week-over-week, to 8.4 billion. MLB (3.4 billion) and college football (3.2 billion) maintained their second and third places, respectively. NBC’s The Voice, which kicked off its 19th season last week, snagged fourth place with 784.2 million TV ad impressions, nearly 110 million more than the No. 5 program (America’s Newsroom).

Not only did Fox keep its first-place position from the previous week, it delivered over 8.3 billion TV ad impressions, a 46.22% week-over-week increase. CBS, in second place with nearly 6.9 billion impressions, also saw an increase: 36.95%. Unsurprisingly, sports were critical to the impressions for both networks: On Fox, over 3.3 billion impressions came from MLB games and 3.2 billion from NFL games — combined, making up 78.8% of the network’s total impressions for the week. Over half of CBS’ impressions came from NFL games (3.2 billion), with Big Brother as the No. 2 impressions-driving program (419.3 million). Notable newcomers to the top 25 ranking included Hallmark (337.6 million impressions), which kicked off its “Countdown to Christmas” movie event on Oct. 24, and Big Ten Network (245.4 million), a result of the Big Ten conference finally starting their season.

This is a quick snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of Oct. 12-18, revealing the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and the top shows and networks by TV ad impressions with insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks 

Via Vizio's Inscape, the TV data company with insights from a panel of more than 16 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

Unsurprisingly, the NFL remained in the lead for watch-time last week (5.94% of minutes watched), while MLB (3.14%) rose into second place and college football (2.49%) slipped to third. The Barrett Confirmation Hearings on Fox News took fifth place with 0.77% share duration. A few ranking newcomers this time around: American Pickers, Rizzoli & Isles and Two and a Half Men. And while it didn’t make the top 25, it’s worth noting that ABC’s broadcast of Joe Biden’s town hall, The Vice President and the People -- A Special Edition of 20/20, captured 0.33% of watch-time, landing it at No. 30 for the week.

Thanks in part to NFL and MLB games, Fox took No. 1 on the network ranking with 7.62% of watch-time. Fox News also moved up a spot into second place (7.38% share duration), followed by CBS (7.07%), NBC (6.54%) and ABC (6.16%). While multiple cable networks had no position change compared to the previous week, two new networks came into the top 25: Fox Sports 1 (No. 17 with 1.21% share duration) and Freeform (No. 25, 0.93%).

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

Another week, another rankings win for the NFL, with games delivering over 6.62 billion TV ad impressions — although that represented an 18.98% decrease in impressions from the previous week. The MLB moved into second place with 3.9 billion impressions (a 95.47% week-over-week increase) while college football took No. 3 (2.5 billion impressions, a 28.57% decrease). Only four non sports/news programs made the top 25: The Young and the Restless, The Bachelorette (which just returned for its 16th season), Big Brother and General Hospital.

Thanks to an assist from various sports, the big four broadcasters dominated the top of the network ranking: Fox jumped into first place, delivering 5.6 billion TV ad impressions, 56% of which came from NFL games and 23.9% from MLB games. CBS took second place with 5 billion impressions (32% from NFL games), ABC was third (4.7 billion, 12% of which came from college football) and No. 4 went to NBC (4.5 billion impressions, 22% from NFL). And thanks to baseball, Fox Sports 1 jumped into the top 10 with 1.6 billion impressions.

This is a quick snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of Sept. 28 through Oct. 4, revealing the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio's Inscape, and the top shows and networks by TV ad impressions with insights via iSpot.tv. Today we also have a special section with social video trends for the first presidential debate via Tubular Labs.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks 

Via Vizio's Inscape, the TV data company with insights from a panel of more than 16 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching). Note: The rankings below do not include the presidential debate — for more on that, check out our recap here.

It was a big week for sports: Four out of the top five programs by watch-time were sports-related, led once again by the NFL (6.63% share duration). College football jumped into second place from ninth last time (2.55% share duration), followed by MLB games (1.88%) and the 2020 NBA Finals (1.32%). A few new shows made the ranking that didn’t crack the top 50 the previous week: The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer, 60 Minutes, Guy’s Grocery Games and NCIS: Los Angeles.

On the network side of things, CBS jumped into first place with a 7.26% share duration, up from fifth place last time. NBC (7.13%) and ABC (7.07%) slipped slightly although still made the top three. The middle-of-the-pack networks all moved up during the week measured, while TNT, TBS and Univision were three networks that dropped in the ranking.

It’s also worth mentioning how big a weekend it was for cable news given President Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis. Of all the live, linear minutes watched from Friday, Oct. 2 through Sunday, Oct. 4, 5.16% of the time was spent on Fox News — slightly less watch-time than the previous weekend (5.17% from Sept. 25-27). CNN, on the other hand, more than doubled its share of watch-time, up to 4.61% vs. 2.20%. Time spent with MSNBC was up as well, with a 2.17% share duration this past weekend compared to 1.80% the weekend of Sept. 25-27.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only and this does not include the first presidential debate.

Although the NFL remained in first place, impressions generated by games dropped to 7.25 billion in the last week vs. 8.1 billion previously. The MLB jumped up the ranking into second place, racking up 2.4 billion impressions, an impressive 525.1% increase from the previous week. College football and the NBA were close behind, while CNN Newsroom rounded out the top five with 739.5 million impressions. The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer also experienced a notable increase in impressions, up 74.43% week-over-week.

ABC leads for networks for the second week in a row with 6.68 billion TV ad impressions, 31.8% of which came from NBA games. CBS rose into second place with 6.26 billion impressions, followed by ESPN (5.3 billion). Networks new to the top 25 ranking included Lifetime (211.1 million impressions) and MTV (203.8 million).

Social Video Insights for Presidential Debate 

According to an analysis from Tubular Labs, news media dominated coverage of the first presidential debate on YouTube. The top creators for debate content, ranked by YouTube views in the seven days ending Oct. 2, were Fox News (13.5 million views), C-SPAN (12.4 million), ABC News (11.3 million) CNN (9.5 million) and CBS News (8 million). The most-viewed videos used hashtags such as #presidentialdebate (22.8 million views), #trump (15.3 million) and #biden (13.3 million). 

Coverage of the full debate was the most-watched format among the top videos on YouTube, but comedian reactions also ranked high:

The following is a snapshot of television by the numbers for the week of Aug. 10-16, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Inscape, and the top shows and networks by TV ad impressions with insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks 

Via Inscape.tv, the TV data company with insights from a panel of more than 15 million smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

Examining shows, of all the minutes watched by smart TVs that Inscape measured in all dayparts, 0.82% of the time was spent on NBCSN’s broadcast of NHL hockey (specifically, the Stanley Cup Playoffs). ABC’s Good Morning America (0.67%) and MTV’s Ridiculousness (0.62%) finished second and third, respectively, by share duration.

For networks, of all minutes watched last week, 6.32% of the time was spent on Fox News -- a one-spot jump from the previous week, when the network was No. 2. The second-place spot went to NBC (5.57%), then ABC (5.36%) was third, followed by CBS (5.08%) and CNN (3.26%). The week’s top mover was Discovery Channel (1.96%), which climbed from 19th to 10th partly on the strength of its annual “Shark Week” special.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

NBA basketball remained atop the rankings, with 1.8 billion TV ad impressions on the week, followed by NHL hockey (1.4 billion), Today (816 million) and America’s Newsroom (801 million). Sports-related programming once again made its presence known among the top shows. Five of the top 12 by impressions were sports-related (NBA, NHL, plus MLB baseball at No. 6, PGA Tour golf in ninth and SportsCenter in 12th). But it was news that saw the biggest footprint on the rankings, with 15 of the top 25 spots.

Fox News was still the highest impression-generating network, with 5.8 billion impressions, followed by NBC (4.3 billion), CNN (3.5 billion) and ABC (3.4 billion). Sports-focused networks also ranked highly, with ESPN (1.9 billion impressions), NBC Sports (1.2 billion), Golf Channel (519 million) and MLB Network (374 million) all among the top 25 networks by impressions during shows with new episodes. TNT (933 million) saw high impression totals as well airing plenty of NBA games during the week.

This is a quick snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of Aug. 3-9, revealing the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Inscape, and the top shows and networks by TV ad impressions with insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks 

Via Inscape.tv, the TV data company with insights from a panel of more than 15 million smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

Looking at shows, of all the minutes watched by smart TVs that Inscape measured in all dayparts, 1.63% of the time was spent on the 2020 PGA Championship on CBS and 1.17% was spent on the PGA Championship on ESPN. NBA basketball games on TNT took third place with 0.95% share duration.

On the network side of things, of all minutes watched last week, 6.06% of the time was spent on CBS — a move up from the previous week where it was No. 4. Second and third places go to Fox News (6.04%) and ABC (5.46%). Notably, NBCSN zoomed into the No. 21 spot (previously it hadn’t been in the top 50).

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

Sports led the ranking, with NBA basketball taking first place with over 2.5 billion TV ad impressions, followed by the 2020 PGA Championship (1.8 billion) and NHL hockey (1.2 billion). Aside from SportsCenter at No. 9, the rest of the top 10 spots all go to news-related programming. Non-news, talk or sports programming to make the top 25 include General Hospital, Days of our Lives, 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? and Big Brother.

Fox News (5.7 billion impressions) continues to reign supreme when it comes to the highest impression-generating networks, followed by NBC (3.5 billion) and CNN (3.4 billion). Sports-centric networks also made the top 25, including ESPN (2.8 billion impressions), NBC Sports (1.3 billion), MLB Network (412 million) and Golf (334.4 million).

Hannah Storm, the ESPN SportsCenter anchor and award-winning journalist, producer and director, has been named the 2018 “Woman of Influence” by Multichannel News. She will be honored along with the 2018 classes of Wonder Women and Women to Watch at the upcoming 20th-annual Wonder Women luncheon on Thursday, March 22, at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City.

Storm, who joined ESPN in 2008 and previously was an anchor and correspondent at NBC Sports, CNN and CBS News, is a pioneer in the field of sports broadcasting for women, an advocate for children’s issues and a published author.

In addition to anchoring various editions of SportsCenter, she has co-hosted many of the network’s marquee events including: Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the NBA Finals, the New York Marathon, Veteran’s Day, the Super Bowl, the NCAA College Football Playoff National Championship and the Rose Parade on ABC.

Storm also has conducted sit-down interviews with many prominent figures in the sports world from the NBA, NFL, NASCAR, MLB, college football and many other sports both in prime-time specials and on SportsCenter. In 2012 she co-anchored daredevil Nik Wallenda’s unprecedented live Niagara Falls tightrope walk for ABC News. She has also served as a correspondent for ABC’s 20/20, where she’s done pieces with Shark Tank stars Robert Herjavec and Kevin O’Leary.

Prior to ESPN, Storm handled premier events during her time at NBC Sports (2002-2007) and CNN (1989-1992), where she was the first female host of CNN Sports Tonight.

MCNWW 2018: Celebrating Media’s Influential Women

At NBC Sports, in addition to hosting four Olympics and the “NBA on NBC,” Storm became the first woman in American television history to solo host a broadcast network’s sports series when she hosted NBC’s Major League Baseball coverage, including three World Series.

Taking a break from sports broadcasting, Storm spent five years (2002-2007) at CBS News as host of The Early Show, covering numerous major news events ranging from the 2004 Presidential election to the Iraqi War and Hurricane Katrina. While at CBS News, Storm also hosted shows for the award-winning CBS newsmagazine, 48 Hours, and served as co-host for the network’s coverage of the Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Following a passion to direct and produce films, in 2008 Storm created Brainstormin’ Productions. She has produced, executive produced and directed several projects for ESPN and espnW including: Unmatched, for ESPN’s Peabody Award-winning “30 for 30” film series; Shaq & Dale, for the SEC Network/ESPN/ABC; Love & Payne, the inaugural espnW “Nine for IX” series short film; Swoopes, for ESPN’s award-winning “Nine for IX” series; and Moving the Goal, for espnW’s “HERoics” series, part of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup coverage. Storm has also produced branded content for ESPN, espnW, and ESPN.com including: Journeys & Victories; Beyond Reason; Stories of Will; The Drive series; and The Journey series.

Watch MCN: 12 Takeaways From MCN's Wonder Women Class of 2018

For her work, she has received several Gracie Awards and, in 2017, The Marist College Center for Sports Communication presented Storm with its second Lifetime Excellence in Sports Communication Award.

Born with a port wine stain underneath her left eye, Storm has become an advocate for children and parents of children suffering from debilitating and disfiguring vascular birthmarks. In 2008 she founded the Hannah Storm Foundation to raise awareness, fund treatment and provide educational information for vascular malformations. To date, children from the United States, China, the Republic of Georgia and Slovenia have received surgery funding through her foundation.

Storm also has written two books: “Notre Dame Inspirations,” and “Go Girl!: Raising Healthy, Confident and Successful Daughters through Sports.” For her work as an author, Literacy Advance of Houston honored her as a Champion of Literacy. She has also contributed to a variety of other books and written extensively for several magazines, including Cosmopolitan, Nick Jr., Family Circle, Child and Notre Dame Magazine. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the mother of three daughters with her husband, Dan Hicks of NBC Sports.

Read More: Complete Coverage of MCN's Wonder Women  

Hannah Storm is the second recipient of the Woman of Influence award, given to a prominent individual in the TV industry who continues to lead by example and action, inspiring others and helping to establish the next generation of women in prominent industry roles. The first honoree, in 2017, was Lesley Stahl of CBS News, the correspondent for 60 Minutes.

The Wonder Women luncheon honors prominent executives in multichannel TV and related businesses. Co-sponsored by the New York chapter of Women in Cable Telecommunications, this year’s luncheon also includes the inaugural Career Catalyst Award, presented by WICT New York. This year’s recipient is Showtime Networks senior vice president Sara Clarke.

For more about the luncheon and Wonder Women, please visit mcnwonderwomen.com.

ESPN will launch a new a new edition of SportsCenter on social media service Snapchat, the network announced Monday.

SportsCenter on Snapchat, which will run three to five minutes and will include a mix of the latest sports news highlights and commentary, premieres today at 5 p.m. ET. Regularly scheduled shows will debut Tuesday at 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays, and once at 5 a.m. on weekends, ESPN said.

Today’s first show will be hosted by sports personality Katie Nolan, with other SportsCenter on Snapchat hosts including Elle Duncan, Cassidy Hubbarth, Jason Fitz and Cy Amundson.

"SportsCenter on Snapchat provides a creative new format and platform for our flagship franchise to continue to evolve," said Connor Schell, ESPN executive vice president, content in a statement. “Katie, Elle, Cassidy, Jason and Cy collectively bring a new style, energy and substance that I believe will connect with Snapchat’s audience in a real way. I’m thrilled to bring this level of talent and personality to a new and innovative daily touchpoint for ESPN."

Today (Feb. 6), ESPN sports journalists Michael Smith and Jemele Hill will debut as hosts of SportsCenter’s 6 p.m. show, the first African-American tandem to host a regularly scheduled daily block of the iconic sports-news program. Smith and Hill, formerly hosts of ESPN2’s daily sports talk show His & Hers, spoke with Multichannel News programming editor R. Thomas Umstead about their new SC6 show. Here’s an edited transcript.

MCN:Will theSC6show differ much from what viewers are used to seeing from you onHis & Hers?

Michael Smith: Well, it’s not going to be as different as the switch makes it seem. I would say SportsCenter is going to be more different. We’re doing the same [His & Hers] show — it’s just going to look different. And by that I mean it will look better: better facilities, better design, better presentation and better execution. We would never for a second think that there wasn’t room for improvement on His & Hers, but the powers that be were clear that they do not want us to come and just update the news, deliver the highlights and set the table for the Duke-North Carolina game coming up after us on ESPN. They wanted us to continue doing exactly what we’d done on His & Hers practically verbatim. It’s going to be an adjustment for some hardcore viewers of SportsCenter who strictly just want the news and what happened during the day while they were at work and away from the Internet, but we’re going to be here to entertain. We think we’ll win over those who may be skeptical rather quickly.

Jemele Hill: This will be more relaxed and informal. And I think one of the things that has been a hallmark of our partnership is that we can talk about serious issues, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. I think that will be the underlying sprit of this new SportsCenter.

MCN:Having said that, if there is breaking news during that time period, will the show take a more traditionalSportsCenterlook and feel?

JH: Absolutely. For those not familiar with [His & Hers], we had breaking news happening on our show all the time — our show was surely up to the minute. And we did just as good as anyone in terms of not only breaking that news, but then immediately rotating it to discussion mode. I think what will also make this SportsCenter unique is that I think we’ve seen previous SportsCenters where if some breaking news happens, then the next pivot is to an expert or to someone closely associated with that story. That’s not to say there won’t be room for us to do that, either, but we can immediately pivot into the mode of being analysts. So it’s like you’re reducing a layer that used to be there on SportsCenter. We’re not going to deviate from giving you news — His & Hers was a news-of-the-day sports show. SportsCenter will be a news-of-the-day show.

MCN:What does the transition from sports talk show hosts to hosts ofSportsCentermean to you?

MS: For us, the SportsCenter brand and what it represents to the company and to sports in general is self-explanatory, but what it means to me and Jemele is really a confirmation and a culmination of a lot of dedication. It’s also a destination that we never would have anticipated reaching in only four years when we did our first podcast. We started that podcast because nobody was falling over themselves to pair us together on television. We did it because we wanted to put our voices together and create something unique, and to think that four years later we would not only have a show but have, with all due respect, the show, which is SportsCenter — I can’t even call it a dream come true because we never dreamt it.

MCN:His & Herstackled some very hot topics on race and sports. How important is it to you to continue to do that onSportsCenter?

JH: We never shy away from those topics and issues. We do them not because we feel obligated, but because they are important to us. So that will definitely continue on [SC6]. I realize that for some of the traditional SportsCenter viewers that will be a bit of a departure to see the hosts of the actual show have opinions on those issues, but this idea that sports needs to remain completely separate from politics is a lie and has always been a lie. And I think you know by discussing some of the issues all we’re doing is bringing to light and getting a perspective on things that are relevant.

The immigration ban is as much of sports story as it is a news story because of the ties to certain Olympic athletes and the fact that most sports leagues have some kind of international base. So not surprisingly, those leagues are concerned about what it means for their athletes. We have had some of the most thoughtful conversation about race and gender, and there’s no reason that that won’t continue in that time slot.

MCN:What are the biggest challenges facing the sports news and talk genre right now?

MS: I would say fear to embrace something new and something different and fear to stay the course. In the beginning for us, how many people thought that we were hurting our viewership or we weren’t going last very long by keeping it 100, as they say. And not only did we last, but we’ve been promoted. I say all of this to say that the decision-makers have to give people an opportunity to know the talent, learn to like the talent and learn to embrace the talent, but also to encourage the on air personalities to get better at being themselves. So I guess I would just like to see more people stop trying to do what you think the viewer wants and just have the conviction to stay the course and put your on air talent in the best position to succeed.

When Jamie Horowitz took the reins of FS1 as president of Fox Sports National Networks in 2015, he decided to chart a new course for the three-year-old service. He put a heavy emphasis on opinion-themed, sports-centric talk shows during the network’s daytime block, rather than try to compete with the tried-and-true news/information format that became a cornerstone of its closest competitor ESPN, through its SportsCenter franchise.

“What we realized was the people don’t want to get sports information anymore in the mornings — they’ve already discussed what happened during the game with their buddies and their family and now they want to know whether their takes are as interesting as the shows we have on the network,” FS1 executive vice president of content Charlie Dixon explained. “We knew we had to create habit-forming programming — people want to know what they’re going to get every day.”

Horowitz was intimately familiar with ESPN, having joined the network as a senior producer in 2006 and serving as the network’s executive vice president of original programming and production — launching such programs as ESPN2’s popular sports-debate show First Take — before leaving in 2014 to head up NBC’s Today.

In 2015, FS1 set out to aggressively seek out the biggest names in TV sports talk to sit behind its cameras and microphones. In August of that year, FS1 and Horowitz signed longtime ESPN talk-show host Colin Cowherd to helm the afternoon sports-talk show The Herd.

This past September, veteran sports-talk personality and ex-First Take co-host Skip Bayless and former National Football League star Shannon Sharpe joined the roster for Undisputed, a new morning sports-debate show that firms up a daytime block of original, talk-themed content that Horowitz hoped would appeal to viewers who already knew the day’s breaking sports news of the day but wanted to gain perspective from a variety of different opinions and outlooks.

“Jamie Horowitz is the reason I came over to Fox Sports,” Bayless told Multichannel News. “Jamie took a big risk on me at ESPN and I like to think it paid off, and then fate struck again and I had the ability to reunite with him at Fox. I couldn’t have been more excited about the opportunity.”

The experiment seems to be working. After only two months on the air, Undisputed has grown audience for its 10 a.m. to noon timeslot by 400% year over year and, more importantly from a competition standpoint, has closed the gap to ESPN from a factor of 23:1 to a 3:1 ratio.

Further under Horowitz’s tutelage, FS1 has cut into ESPN’s audience lead on a total-day basis in 2016 from 8:1 to 4:1, in large part to its growth in daytime hours and the success of its primetime live event programming. FS1 set ratings marks in October and was the most watched network in primetime among all cable networks for two weeks straight (Oct. 10-Oct. 23) on the strength of live Major League Baseball playoff coverage — specifically of the Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers National League Championship series.

Horowitz, in the spotlight as Multichannel News Sports Brand Executive of the Year (sharing honors with WNBA president Lisa Borders), spoke with MCN programming editor R. Thomas Umstead about the evolution of FS1 and what’s next for the national sports service.

MCN:Was there a big adjustment for you working at Fox Sports, particularly after having been successful at ESPN?

Jamie Horowitz: I think I told my boss [Fox Sports president and chief operating officer Eric Shanks] during the interview that I’ve always been a Fox guy, but I’ve just worked other places. There’s a fearlessness to the Murdoch spirit. I think that’s really one of the many reasons I was excited to join Fox is because when we did market research and we asked sports fans what do you want in a sports network, the words they would use — not knowing Fox was asking — were honest, combative and filled with risks. They think they’re describing just a sports network, but they were describing the values that we hold dear here, so I knew this would be a great match.

MCN:Obviously, your biggest competitor remains the well-established ESPN sports brand. How did you want to position FS1 against its biggest competitor?

JH: First, I want to say I love ESPN. Not only did I love it as an employee while working under [ESPN president] John Skipper, but I also loved it as a consumer. I grew up on SportsCenter and, in a lot of ways, ESPN and Fox are in the same business. But to me there are four different components of being a sports network: there’s live events; there’s pre- and post-game shows; there’s news and highlights; and there’s opinion based programs. We’re making a big bet on live events and so is ESPN. We’re making a big bet on pre- and post-game shows; so is ESPN.

ESPN is making a big bet on news and information: 54% of their schedule is SportsCenter. We’re making a big bet on opinion-based programming. The thing that helps build a brand for a company and that eats up a ton of hours are the daily shows. So one of the changes we made when we joined FS1 is that we were going to make a huge investment in opinion-based programming, and that will be our source of differentiation.

When you wake up in the morning, I just think sports fans go to the phone to get the headlines and the highlights, then they turn on the TV to find people with perspective. And that’s the bet we’ve made with Skip Bayless, Shannon Sharpe, Colin Cowherd, Katie Nolan and Jason Whitlock — you are seeing us make these bets time and again.

MCN:How have those bets paid off at this particular point?

JH: We’ve improved the time period by 400% — it looks like a typo. Someone could say its coming from a low base, and I’d say that’s the point. The point is that people weren’t coming and now they are in record numbers. It’s amazing — from 10 a.m. to [noon], we saw the [audience ratio] in that timeslot was 23:1 [compared to ESPN]. That’s like me playing my 7-year-old son in basketball. Now it’s 3:1 — some days its less than 2:1. It’s incredible.

MCN:Some will say that that improvement came at a high cost of acquiring the talent that you just mentioned.

JH: There’s a great misunderstanding about these shows from a financial point of view. They say the talent is highly compensated and that is true. However, that is the lion’s share of the cost to the show. These shows are actually incredibly inexpensive to produce, relative to a traditional news-and-information show that has to send trucks all over the country at all hours trying to gather the news of the day. That’s an expensive operation. We still report the news, except [Undisputed co-host] Joy Taylor will read it and say, “Oh, that’s an interesting story ... I didn’t know Jerry Jones said that to some other news organization.” Then we even play that sound bite, so we’re delivering the same news but adding our opinions about it. So it’s nice when you can say your programming is economically efficient and it rates higher.

MCN:What do you say to critics who say your sports talk shows are all discussing the same one or two stories all day long, just with different voices?

JH: That is a misunderstanding of how TV actually works from people who never actually produced television. The way I try to explain that is to say if you ran a Starbucks and were serving lattes in the morning would you say to your boss, “You know you serve lattes all morning; we should probably stop it this afternoon.” No, you wouldn’t — when coming to Starbucks, there is an expectation of what they are. And the person who comes in at 10 in the morning is not the same person that’s there at three in the afternoon. And so when people say to me that I heard Skip at 9:30 in the morning talking about [Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks Dak Prescott and Tony Romo], and then at 2:30 Colin was talking about the same thing, I say, “Yes!” They are talking to different viewers, and the viewer at 2:30 is just as important than the one at 9:30, and they deserve the most interesting stories of the day.

MCN:So you have daytime covered with opinion-themed programming and live sports events in primetime. Are there any other dayparts you’ll be focusing on in the near future?

JH:Undisputed has generated strong ratings, and, more importantly, they’ve driven up ratings for The Herd, which is up 64% year over year. So you don’t have to be the smartest guy in the room to say if you put a compelling show on in front of The Herd and it’s up 64%, why don’t you do the same thing for Skip and Shannon? So our plan is to at some point in the next couple months start the process of meeting with talent and creating a show to lead into Undisputed.

MCN:How do you see FS1’s overall development evolving a year from now?

JH: Listen, I think the goal for these studio shows is to create habit-forming television and to speak directly to what the viewer wants from those shows. Eric Shanks says it best: I am more optimistic about FS1 today than any day in its history. I share those sentiments and my bet is a year from now I’ll be more optimistic on that day than I was today and every day since then. It’s such a fun time to be at FS1 because we are in such an incredible growth mode.

SIDEBAR: FS1’s Tale of the Ratings Tape

Under the tutelage of Fox Sports National Networks president Jamie Horowitz, FS1 has scored big year-to-year ratings growth both in total viewers and in its target male 18-34 audience, according to Nielsen.

FS1 2016 vs. 2015 (Total Day)*

+14% on Household Rating

+12% on Persons 2+ (average audience)

+10% on Men 18-34 (average audience)

FS1 2016 vs. 2015 (Prime)*

+25% on Household Rating

+24% on Persons 2+ (average audience)

+16% on Men 18-34 (average audience)

*Period for 2016 is 1/1/16-12/4/16; Period for 2015 is 1/1/15-12/6/15

SOURCE : Nielsen, Fox Sports

President Barack Obama made his final four predictions on ESPN Wednesday morning (March 16), saying the Kansas Jayhawks would beat the North Carolina Tar Heels in the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game.

He said the other two teams making the Final Four would be Michigan State and Texas A&M.

“The President was a Cinderella as a candidate eight years ago, but he has gone with the favorites in each year of his presidency,” said Katz of the presidential picks.

President Obama has made a pick every year since taking office, with a record of 1-6, only getting it right in 2009 when he chose North Carolina. Watch the video of today's picks here.

U.S. Hispanics who prefer to consume SportsCenter in Spanish on ESPN Deportes can now enjoy the technology and look and feel of English-language SportsCenter telecasts, thanks to the launch of a state-of-the-art facility in Mexico City.

ESPN Deportes christened the new, four-studio production center on Dec. 7 at 11:30 p.m. (ET), following the network's Monday Night Football broadcast. Carolina Padron, Ciro Procuna and Jorge Eduardo Sanchez continue as SportsCenter anchors for ESPN Deportes.

The studio is designed to enhance content presentation for the viewer, increase consumer engagement, and provide a better stage for ESPN Deportes anchors, Rodolfo Martinez, vice president of production for ESPN International and ESPN Deportes, said.

The studio upgrade comes 10 months after one of its primary competitors, Fox Deportes, gave a facelift to its own signature in-studio sports news program, Central Fox.

ESPN’s new Mexico City studio space is the result of growth at ESPN Deportes that led to limit studio space, Martinez said in an interview.

“We built our first studios in Mexico City 12 years ago with the objective of serving ESPN Deportes only," he said. "Then, the network produced two shows. Now, we offer 10 hours of programming each day."

By bringing the presentation and technology of ESPN Deportes's version of SportsCenter in line with ESPN’s, U.S. Hispanic sports fans are receiving the best programming available, regardless of their language preference, Martinez said.

“The product and ESPN Deportes’s different platforms have become crucial for the growth of our brand in the U.S.,” he said. “These upgrades were done in Miami, Los Angeles, and in Bristol, Conn., and, come Jan. 4, all of our programming will be presented with full HD migration.”

A sleeker look and feel for SportsCenter isn't the only upgrade on ESPN Deportes’s Christmas Wish List that has been by The Walt Disney Co.

On Dec. 1, ESPN relaunched its Spanish-language websites across the globe, including ESPNDeportes.com, its primary destination for U.S. Hispanics.

Built on the technology infrastructure and design elements seen on ESPN.com, which received its own overhaul in April of 2015, ESPNDeportes.com is now designed to load faster and boasts improved site navigation.

The new ESPNDeportes.com now automatically adjusts to any screen, regardless of device or platform.

“Bringing a uniformly great experience to sports fans all over the world is central to our mission at ESPN,” ESPN executive vice president of digital and print media John Kosner said.

New Spanish-language editions of the ESPN app will come next spring.

Kenny Mayne, an anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter, has reached a new multi-year agreement to remain with the network in his current role.

Mayne will continue as a guest anchor of the 1 a.m. ET edition of the program, which is hosted by Neil Everett and Stan Verrett. He also will continue to be part of SportsCenter on the Road at select events and will produce features for the franchise. Mayne will also be a featured contributor to the midnight ET edition of SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt.

"Happy to be back for more,” Mayne said. “It beats real work. I fly to L.A. for a week, watch sports and make up words. Sometimes I literally make up the words. Pure gibberish. But Stan and Neil seem to get me."

Terms of the contract were not revealed. The deal comes amid layoffs at ESPN of a few hundred staffers following significant subscriber losses.

“For 20 years, Kenny Mayne has placed his own indelible, if somewhat askew, stamp onSportsCenter,” said Rob King, ESPN senior VP, SportsCenter and News. “We are truly delighted that he'll continue entertaining fans, both from the SportsCenter set and from all corners of the sporting world.”

Mayne joined ESPN in 1994 as an anchor on ESPN2 and became full-time SportsCenter anchor in 1997, staying in that position until 2008. He returned to the anchor desk in 2013.

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

ESPN's SportsCenter will look to deliver music along with sports highlights beginning Thursday when it debuts its Center Stage music series.

The music show kicks off Thursday (June 25) during SportsCenter's 6 p.m. show with a performance from hip hop artist Wiz Khalifa. The series will return Friday (June 26) with a live performance from Wale, said network officials.

"Sports and music have always had a cool connection, and we hope Center Stage will further that relationship in a way that will resonate with our fans,” said Senior Vice President, SportsCenter and News Rob King. “To be able to kick it off with Wiz Khalifa and Wale, back-to-back, is instant confirmation of how impactful Center Stage can be.”

Pasadena – ESPN will tap actress Eva Longoria and Marvel Entertainment to help boost its short films output, the sports network announced Wednesday during its Television Critics Association press tour presentation.

The Longoria-produced series, Versus, explores moments of inspiration when the world of sports transcended the action on the field, said network executives. Longoria will direct the series’ first short Go, Sebastian, Go!, which will profile nine year old singer Sebastian de la Cruz, who was the target of hateful comments after singing the national anthem in a mariachi charro suit during Game 3 of the 2013 NBA Finals.

A second short, Queen Vee, will profile Violet ‘Vee’ Palmer, the first female referee in the NBA.

ESPN Films has also partnered with Marvel Entertainment to create a short film series and a full-length documentary that connects super heroes with great athletes, said network officials.

The 1 of 1 – Origins short film series will launch this summer on SportsCenter and across ESPN’s digital platforms simultaneously and will focus on a single athlete who has a defining story of the origin of their powers in the sports world, said network officials.

A full length documentary, 1 of 1 – Genesis currently available on Digital HD through select digital retailers, explores the connections between Marvel Super Heroes and today’s athletes.

Finally, ESPN announced it will launch in February a Friday Night Movie Night segment within its 6 p.m. SportsCenter telecast featuring a short film from one of ESPN Films’ popular documentary series. The first short will debut Feb. 6 with the Spike Lee-produced film Ray Allen/AKA-Jesus Shuttlesworth, said network officials.

The series is the first of several movies from Spike Lee’s Lil’ Joints, which showcases narratives revolving around African-American stories that are not widely known.

"We’re thrilled to provide a showcase for these fantastic films, and we’re confident that fans will be dazzled by the ingenuity and insight in every story," said Rob King, Senior VP, SportsCenter and News.

Veteran ESPN personality Stuart Scott died after al ong battle with cancer, the network announced Sunday morning.

Scott, 49, joined ESPN in 1993 for the launch of ESPN2 and quickly became a leading voice on ESPN’s flagship sports news program SportsCenter. During his 21-year career at the sports network, he hosted a variety of sports programs, including NFL and NBA programing and covered such big sports events as the NBA Finals, Super Bowl, Major League Baseball playoff and the World Series.

Scott had also worked as a regular contributor to ESPN: The Magazine, ESPN Radio, and ESPN.com.

“ESPN and everyone in the sports world have lost a true friend and a uniquely inspirational figure in Stuart Scott,” said ESPN president John Skipper in a statement.  “Who engages in mixed martial arts training in the midst of chemotherapy treatments?   Who leaves a hospital procedure to return to the set?  His energetic and unwavering devotion to his family and to his work while fighting the battle of his life left us in awe, and he leaves a void that can never be replaced.”

Scott is survived by his two daugthers, Taelor and Sydni, his parents O. Ray and Jacqueline Scott; and his three siblings -- veteran cable executive Susan Scott, Stephen Scott, Synthia Kearney, and their families.

(See a Good Morning America feature on Stuart Scott with Robin Roberts from ESPNMediaZone on Vimeo.)