ESPN is celebrating a dominant first half of 2025, leading all Nielsen-rated networks in total minutes viewed and posting its strongest audience numbers in nearly a decade across several key categories.
According to Nielsen data through June 29, 2025, ESPN has increased year-over-year viewership across the board. The network is up 4% in total-day audience and 9% in prime time compared to the same period in 2024. When factoring in “Sports on ABC,” the combined total-day viewership is up 1% from a year ago.
That growth has translated into milestone figures for ESPN. In prime time, the network is averaging 1.9 million viewers—the highest since 2014. ESPN’s all-day average-minute audience sits at 712,000, the second-best mark since 2017. Additionally, ESPN and Sports on ABC together delivered their most-watched first half of the year since 2016, generating more than 254 billion minutes viewed.
Fueling those gains is ESPN’s performance across all of its Nielsen-rated platforms. The network family has generated nearly 300 billion minutes watched so far in 2025—more than any other nationally measured sports network. ESPN’s flagship channel alone has accounted for 187 billion of those minutes, the most by a single network this year.
While the linear performance is notable, ESPN’s digital dominance continues to complement its television strength. According to the latest Comscore data, ESPN Digital & Social remained the No. 1 sports platform in the U.S. with 175.1 million unique users, up 5% year-over-year. The platform now reaches 63% of the U.S. adult population across digital, YouTube, and social media.
In May alone, the ESPN App ranked No. 1 with 27 million unique users—16% higher than the same month last year. The app outperformed the next nine non-ESPN sports apps combined and saw usage eight times greater than its closest competitor.
Additionally, ESPN.com topped all sports websites in May with 55.8 million unique visitors and 1.7 billion minutes consumed, a 27% year-over-year increase. Social engagement also remained dominant, with ESPN Social reaching 768 million engagements during the month—nearly 25 million per day—marking its 47th consecutive month as the top sports property in the category.
The strong momentum across both linear and digital platforms positions ESPN well ahead of the launch of its direct-to-consumer streaming service and redesigned ESPN App this fall. With increased viewership, expanding digital reach, and billions of minutes consumed, the company is signaling a clear message to the industry: the worldwide leader in sports remains just that.
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