Barstool Sports has never been a brand that keeps anything from its audience. Nearly everything involving the brand and its roster of creators becomes content. If you work for Dave Portnoy, you know what you’re getting into. It’s part of the job. Now, however, FOX Sports is beginning to understand that very notion.
During Monday’s episode of Wake Up Barstool, the show opened with a discussion about the Green Bay Packers’ victory over the Dallas Cowboys. It wasn’t because Portnoy had been up burning the midnight oil, sweating out a bet. Instead, Portnoy said FOX Sports “suits” had advised him and the Barstool Sports team that more Dallas Cowboys discussion would be better for ratings. That revelation offers a glimpse into the challenges emerging from this unique and bold partnership idea.
The relationship between Barstool Sports and FOX Sports is now navigating its second year. Portnoy is no longer appearing on Big Noon Kickoff every Saturday, but the weekday morning show that fills four hours of programming time remains. Portnoy is a weekly contributor to Wake Up Barstool on Mondays, following a weekend of college and NFL football.
The placement makes sense. Put your biggest personality on the day when viewership is likely to be highest.
Viewership Struggles
However, Barstool and FOX are two very different beasts when it comes to content. One relies on time-honored television models: play the hits and stay safe. The other operates by its own rules and has built an audience around that independence. Barstool Sports has long portrayed itself as a pirate ship, one that has now docked in traditional media waters.
Successful partnerships, however, require both sides to work together. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that FOX Sports holds meetings and sends emails offering suggestions to improve the product. Wake Up Barstool was an experiment for the network. It’s not the traditional morning sports programming the network is used to.
Yet, more than a year after the show launched, traditional television viewership remains staggeringly low. During the premiere last September, Portnoy even joked that the programming airing before Wake Up Barstool launched had drawn “zero” viewers.
In June 2026, reported average viewership for Wake Up Barstool was 19,000 during a month of extensive FIFA World Cup coverage for FOX Sports. By contrast, ESPN’s Get Up, which airs in the same time slot, averaged 426,000 viewers during that period.
That’s not great, Bob.
Digitally, however, Wake Up Barstool tells a different story. The program launched its own YouTube channel, which now has more than 45,000 subscribers. According to Social Blade, the channel continues to grow, adding more than 2,000 subscribers and generating over 2 million views in the past month. Clips also appear in real time across social media, extending the show’s reach and engagement.
Who Is The Target Audience
For a program struggling to attract viewers on traditional television, its digital strategy has been a clear success. The challenge is translating that online engagement into the kind of audience growth FOX Sports needs on FS1. So why is FOX Sports recommending more discussion about the Dallas Cowboys? The Cowboys played on Sunday Night Football this past weekend. But does that automatically mean they should be a top priority for the Wake Up Barstool audience?
That’s where the disconnect between Barstool and FOX Sports becomes apparent. Whose audience is the show trying to reach?
Barstool appears to be tailoring Wake Up Barstool to its own fan base rather than the audience that traditionally watches sports television each morning. That distinction could help explain why the show hasn’t gained traction on FS1 despite the popularity of the Barstool Sports brand. At the same time, its digital performance suggests the program is connecting with an audience on platforms where Barstool has built its reputation.
Those competing outcomes raise a larger question about what success looks like for the partnership.
Now, just weeks after Portnoy’s departure from Big Noon Kickoff, he is publicly criticizing FOX Sports executives for suggesting content ideas for a show built around his brand. Is Portnoy sending a signal about the state of the partnership, or is he simply trying to generate more attention for a product that has struggled to attract a traditional television audience for more than a year?
The partnership between FOX Sports and Barstool Sports was always going to be an interesting experiment. I credit both sides for giving the arrangement a chance.
For the partnership to work, however, both sides must understand what makes the other successful. FOX Sports has the experience and resources to help develop a television product, but Barstool’s audience expects the brand to remain authentic to its identity. If FOX tries to turn Wake Up Barstool into something it was never intended to be, while Portnoy refuses to compromise on the content that built his audience, the relationship could be approaching a crossroads.
Watch This Space
Portnoy’s public criticism of FOX’s programming suggestions may be nothing more than another attempt to generate attention. However, it could also be an early indication that the partnership is beginning to fracture. FOX Sports can offer the platform, resources and traditional television expertise, but Barstool’s appeal has always been rooted in its independence.
If the two sides can’t agree on what the show should be or whom it should serve, the question becomes how much longer either will see value in the arrangement. The pirate ship may have found a home in traditional sports television, but that doesn’t mean it’s willing to follow the rules of the harbor.
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