FS1’s Highest-Rated and Most-Watched Week to Date
Team,
Congratulations! Last week was the highest-rated and most-watched week in the history of FS1.
At FS1, we believe in premier live events and engaging personalities and last week we saw sports fans respond to both in record numbers.
Consider some of the highlights:
Twice last week, postseason MLB telecasts set new audience records for FS1. The Cubs-Giants NLDS Game 4 on Tuesday night broke previous records, which were then shattered by Sunday night’s NLCS Game 2, a game that brought 7,291,000 viewers to the network. With Kenny Albert, Joe Buck, Matt Vasgersian, Harold Reynolds, Ken Rosenthal, John Smoltz and Tom Verducci leading us on-air, our broadcasts of the LDS and LCS continue to set the standard in the industry.
And cool news from our friends at FOX Deportes – their coverage of NLCS Game 2 last night averaged 291,000 total viewers, the highest total viewer audience delivery for any LCS game in Spanish TV history.
Our pregame/postgame MLB studio crew has become a viral phenomenon alongside the postseason games, as Kevin Burkhardt, Alex Rodriguez, Pete Rose and Frank Thomas keep it entertaining, even late into the night. This show celebrates the type of conversation we believe fans want – incisive and entertaining, and the results have reflected that, highlighted by the crew holding an audience of 1.9 million viewers following Cubs-Giants NLDS Game 4, the most-watched full-length postgame show in FS1 history.
Our portfolio of college football continues to show its strength. This past Saturday’s action on FS1 saw the top two Big 12 teams remain undefeated, in addition to another impressive performance by our LA neighbors at USC. Tim Brando, Joe Davis, Bruce Feldman, Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, Brady Quinn, Shannon Spake and Spencer Tillman called Saturday games, while Rob Stone, Matt Leinart, Stewart Mandel, Robert Smith and Coach Wannstedt provided thoughtful pregame and postgame coverage from the studio.
On the daily studio side, as much as we love debate, this one cannot be contested: we are making significant strides toward our competition and are thrilled with the progress to date.
Last week was the most-watched week ever for THE HERD, posting an average audience of 112,000 viewers, highlighted by Tuesday’s 136,000 viewer delivery, highest in the show’s 13-month history. Congrats to Colin Cowherd and Kristine Leahy for continuing to provide a unique daily show offering.
SKIP AND SHANNON: UNDISPUTED is off to an amazing start and enjoyed its most-watched week, setting a new record for its most-watched show, drawing 126,000 viewers last Wednesday. The show is providing a strong lead-in to THE HERD and helping lift the entire network in total-day. Not to mention the fact that Skip Bayless, Shannon Sharpe and Joy Taylor’s thoughtful takes are bringing a younger, more diverse audience to FS1.
Other major highlights from our studio shows included Katie Nolan’s GARBAGE TIME setting a new record with an audience of 582,000 viewers following Game 4 between the Cubs and Giants on Tuesday night, the show’s largest audience for a full-length episode to date! FOX SPORTS LIVE WITH JAY AND DAN also posted record highs, enjoying five of its most-watched shows during this stretch, including an impressive 493,000 viewers on Thursday night and the highest weekly average in its history. In the early evenings, SPEAK FOR YOURSELF continues to grow as Jason Whitlock, Colin and Jason McIntyre drew 86,000 viewers last Wednesday.
On Wednesday, UFC President Dana White appeared on THE HERD and broke huge news that Ronda Rousey will be returning to the Octagon at UFC 207. The UFC momentum carried into Wednesday evening on UFC TONIGHT, where Dana broke even more news, telling hosts Kenny Florian and Daniel Cormier that ascending star Paige VanZant would headline the next FOX UFC FIGHT NIGHT. UFC TONIGHT tallied 149,000 viewers last week, up +6% on viewership compared to first-run Wednesday episodes of the program last October, and marking its most-watched premiere episode since April.
Motor sports are part of the fabric of FOX Sports, and NASCAR RACE HUB, a consistent performer for FS1 since launch, had a strong week, averaging 152,000 viewers. That number is up 35% vs. the same week in October last year. RACE HUB continues to outpace the competition, beating NBC’s NASCAR America average viewership by 78% (146,000 vs. 82,000) season-to-date. Nice work by hosts Danielle Trotta and Adam Alexander, and the team of Larry McReynolds, Andy Petree, Chad Knaus, Jeff Hammond, AJ Allmendinger, Michael Waltrip, Regan Smith, Ray Dunlap, Alan Cavanna, Andrew Doud, Kaitlyn Vincie, Joey Logano, Drew Blickensderfer, Todd Bodine, Brad Keselowski, David Ragan, Robert “Bootie” Barker and Jeff Gordon.
Whoa. That’s a lot of good news.
Now, we know what you’re thinking – “Is this where Jamie starts mixing in sporty clichés, basketball analogies and commentaries about the future of SportsCenter?”
Nah. (Well, not today.)
This is where we say thank you, to all of you, for helping FS1 achieve these milestones. This is an exciting time to be a part of this team. With the live-event portfolio stronger and more dynamic than it has ever been, and a solid daily slate of original studio programs, we will continue to grow. We have the momentum.
We’d also like to thank everyone who has continued to help us push awareness for FS1 and get the word out about the content of our shows, with a special thanks to those at the RSNs, who allocated promo space, contributing greatly to our progress.
Now, most importantly, please join us all on Tuesday at 9:00 AM local time in each of your offices as we celebrate with bagels, donuts, and coffee! Enjoy the food (and caffeine!) and please know how much your commitment and effort are appreciated.*
Thank you, and congratulations to all of you.
Just the beginning!
Jamie and John
*(For FOX Lot/101 – Multipurpose Room; For all other locations/regions, key person in each office is facilitating onsite as is BTN and Woodlands, CLT and NYC sales team)
