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TV News: ESPN has another banner year, remains #1 in all categories

Posted by AR1 staff

In 2022, ESPN continued to build a strategic path forward, while connecting with audiences in innovative ways. Throughout the year, ESPN successfully reached sports fans in record numbers and expanded its reach through a multi-platform ecosystem across linear, streaming, digital and social outlets.

Highlights included strong viewership numbers for live event and studio programming, continued growth in the Direct-to-Consumer space, the highest quality storytelling content, impactful technological advancements and difference-making collaboration as part of the industry-leading scale and scope of The Walt Disney Company.

Highlights

  • This will mark the 31st consecutive year that ESPN has held the No. 1 spot for Men 18-34 and 18-49 specifically, and 13 straight years No. 1 among people 18-34 and 18-49.
  • For the ninth straight year, ESPN will be the No. 1 cable network in prime time among all key adult demos (P18-34, P18-49, P25-54).
  • ESPN is accounting for the largest share of total sports minutes consumed of any nationally measured network (broadcast or cable) year-to-date (thru 12/13/22) among total viewers (20%) and Adults 18-49 (22.5%).
  • ESPN2 has been the No. 2 cable sports network among M18-34 every year (once tied) since its 1993 launch behind only ESPN.
  • ESPN — by far the leading sports digital platform — continued to see growth in 2022 averaging 106.7 million unique visitors per month this year, up +3% from 2021.
  • ESPN Digital set a new U.S. Sports category record two months in a row with 122.7 million unique visitors in September, followed by 122.8 million unique visitors in October.
  • Best weekend of all time (Sept. 10-11) – fueled by ESPN’s coverage of the NFL, college football, U.S. Open Tennis, UFC 279, WNBA Finals, LaLiga and Bundesliga soccer, Formula 1 and ESPN Fantasy Football.
  • The ESPN App continues to be the most popular sports app in the U.S. in terms of reach, 4.2 times larger than the No. 2 sports app and up +10% from 2021.
  • The ESPN App set a new U.S. sports mobile app category record in September 2022 with 29.5 million unique visitors, and recorded its two best days ever (Sept. 10-11), reaching 13.1 and 12.6 million unique fans, respectively.
  • The ESPN Fantasy App continues to be the #1 fantasy sports app in the U.S. in terms of reach, 53% larger than No. 2. Additionally, Sunday, Sept. 11 was its best day ever (9.2 million unique visitors), shattering the previous record set three days prior (8.3 million on Thursday, Sept. 8).
  • Formula 1: In October, ESPN announced an agreement with Formula 1 to continue distribution across ESPN platforms through the 2025 season.

  • Formula 1

    • World Championship – most-watched season ever on U.S. television with an average of 2 million viewers across ESPN platforms.
    • Miami Grand Prix on ABC delivered the largest U.S. audience on record for a live F1 race, generating an average viewership of 2.6 million.

Social Media

  • ESPN led the sports media category in fan engagement this past year with 6.8 billion total actions across Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook, up 44% year over year.
    • ESPN is also a top brand in the entire social ecosystem, boasting four of the Top 50 most engaged brands overall: SportsCenter, ESPN, ESPN FC, and ESPN MMA (Shareablee).
    • ESPN Social averaged over 18 million social engagements per day across 30 different brands.
    • ESPN is a key driver of The Walt Disney Company’s #1 position in social engagement among all U.S. media companies, accounting for at least 70% of fan social interactions.
  • YouTube:
    • ESPN generated over 20 billion views on YouTube, reaching over 300M unique viewers monthly.
  • Instagram:
    • SportsCenter on Instagram more than doubled the number of followers in the past three years, surpassing 32 million.
  • TikTok:
    • ESPN remains a Top 3 most followed (surpassed 30M mark) and engaged (2.6B) brand on TikTok.