ESPN has reported its best first quarter in five years, with total-day viewership up 32% compared to the same period last year for an average of 821,000 viewers.
The Disney-owned sports network recorded a 40% increase in prime-time viewership in Q1 2022 for an average of 2 million viewers. ESPN is the top prime-time cable network among viewers 18-49, up 111% compared to its closest competitor.
ESPN is poised to add more viewers this summer, having secured a four-year rights deal with the Premier Lacrosse League in late March. The PLL’s fourth season will begin on June 4.
The network also hired Troy Aikman and Joe Buck from rival Fox Sports, adding the duo to its “Monday Night Football” broadcast after they spent 20 years as Fox’s No. 1 broadcast team.
![ESPN Bet broadcasts inside the PGA Tour Studios building in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, on March 14, 2025. [Clayton Freeman/Florida Times-Union]](https://frontofficesports.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/USATSI_25668497_168416386_lowres-1-scaled.jpg?quality=100&w=1024)
![[Subscription Customers Only] Jul 13, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Chelsea FC midfielder Cole Palmer (10) celebrates winning the final of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium](https://frontofficesports.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/USATSI_26636703-scaled-e1770932227605.jpg?quality=100&w=1024)
