ESPN has revealed a strong first month across its linear and digital platforms for The Pat McAfee Show, garnering a cumulative viewership of 242 million, an average of 1.4 million views per show.
Featuring interviews with guests such as New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, WWE superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders, viewers have tuned in to the program. Pat McAfee, a former NFL punter, is joined by former NFL linebacker and co-host A.J. Hawk in addition to various contributors.
The 18-44 demographic primarily consumes the program through digital platforms, including YouTube, social media channels, and the ESPN app, with 82% of the audience falling into that niche. Digital platforms, overall, accounted for 213 million cumulative views throughout September. Additionally, viewers have tuned in to the program for an average of 44.5 minutes every day across all platforms, a testament to the show’s ability to retain the interest of its audience.
“To be rather transparent, I’m not sure any of us had any certainty of how this particular report was gonna be when this all started a month ago,” McAfee said in a statement. “We had hopes that a massive new audience provided by ESPN would give our show a chance, and ESPN had hopes of us helping with the transition into the new multiplatform generation of daily sports entertainment.
“I’m proud of my guys for their work and very thankful for ESPN’s belief in us because I do believe these numbers are telling us all that we’re off to a rather good start. We appreciate everything and everybody. We’re pumped about the continued possibilities on ESPN’s phenomenal platform. Cheers.”
Over the course of the football season, the show has weekly interviews lined up with recurring guests, including The NFL Today studio analyst and former defensive end J.J. Watt, Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban, and the aforementioned Rodgers. The show has also gone on the road to different college campuses on Friday, which leads to McAfee’s responsibilities on College GameDay on Saturday. Two of the five most-watched episodes from the last month took place on Friday afternoons, with the visit to Boulder, Colo. accounting for 1.9 million views.
“Pat and his team have established a strong, loyal following and we’re happy to see these fans embrace the show on our platforms while also expanding ESPN’s overall reach,” Mike Foss, senior vice president of studio and digital production at ESPN, said in a statement. “The Pat McAfee Show has been an incredible addition to our strong weekday lineup, and we’re looking forward to seeing how fans continue to tune in across our multiple viewing platforms.”
ESPN has licensed 235 episodes of The Pat McAfee Show as part of a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal and simulcasts the program from noon to 2 p.m. EST on ESPN, ESPN+, and ESPN’s YouTube channel. The final hour of the program – 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST – airs on ESPN+ and McAfee’s individual show channel on YouTube.
