‘First Take’ Is Owning the Ratings Battle with ‘Undisputed’

Skip Bayless recently starred in a commercial for “Undisputed” shot in an actual cemetery, which may be a metaphor for the dying competition between his show and rival Stephen A. Smith’s “First Take.”

Over the summer, the dueling morning programs revamped their casts and formats before the NFL season, each intending to become the leading “embrace debate” show on morning TV.

FS1’s “Undisputed” hired a new trio of retired NFL players: Michael Irvin, Keyshawn Johnson, and Richard Sherman. In return, Smith personally recruited Bayless’s ex-sparring partner Shannon Sharpe to join him and Molly Qerim on ESPN’s “First Take.”

With more than three months of head-to-head competition between the reshuffled weekday shows, the verdict is in. It’s Smith by a technical knockout: From September to November, “First Take” averaged 554,000 viewers compared to 120,000 for “Undisputed.” 

During the two weeks from Nov. 27 to Dec. 8, “First Take” (581,000) drew an audience five times greater than “Undisputed” (105,000), according to sources. In fact, November ranked as the most-watched month (614,000) in the 16-year history of “First Take.”

Media

| by Michael McCarthy

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ESPN’s “First Take” has maintained its No. 1 ranking since “Undisputed” debuted in 2016. Even if the 56-year-old Smith leaves his show for late-night TV, entertainment, or politics, Sharpe vowed “First Take” will remain No. 1.

“Y’all not going to be better than me and Stephen A. That’s not going to happen. I promise you, that is not going to happen. Ever. Ever,” Sharpe warned his competitors at FS1. 

“Now, if Stephen A. says, ‘Shannon, I want to go in a different direction,’ you all are still not [going to beat us]. Because Stephen A. is that dude, if Stephen A. ever decides to leave and turn the reins over to me, you all know I’m that dude. I’m him. Now the problem y’all got is you got two hims to go up against.”

But don’t count out Bayless. The 72-year-old has had more journalistic lives than a cat. Love him or hate him, he’s still the Godfather of Embrace Debate. Both Smith and Sharpe can partially thank him for their career success.

After all, Bayless handpicked a struggling Smith to be his debate partner on “First Take” in 2012 — Ditto for selecting Sharpe to join him on the new “Undisputed” in 2016. As the Dallas Cowboys’ biggest pom-pom-waving fan, he’s turning their 10-3 record into constant debate fodder.

Media Analysis

| by Michael McCarthy

Sharpe: ‘First Take’ Would Still Beat ‘Undisputed’ Without Stephen A.

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“Undisputed” has had strong moments this fall: The show filmed on-location at the University of Colorado, where Bayless and Irvin hugged it out with Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders, a longtime friend from their days playing for and covering the Cowboys.

In November, Bayless and Sherman heatedly faced off on the air over “hip-drop tackles” in football. TV newcomer Sherman tried to play the you-never-played-the-game card on Bayless. The old dog was having none of it.

“I’ve been covering the game longer than you’ve been alive,” Bayless retorted.

FS1’s afternoon studio shows are also showing strong growth. “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” and Nick Wright’s “First Things First” just posted their most-watched Novembers ever, while November viewership for “Speak” grew 26%, the show’s 13th consecutive month of year-over-year growth.