Why is everyone hung up on the viewership figures of FS1’s new morning show Wake Up Barstool? For the past week and a half, debate has swirled over whether the Barstool Sports brand can translate to traditional television. But did anyone really expect anything different?
Let me ask: do you remember when Michael Jordan tried playing baseball? How’d that go? I believe the greatest player in the history of the NBA had a lifetime batting average about what I weighed in middle school—just above .200. Make your jokes; that’s fine.
We’ve seen proven talent excel in one field and fail in another. CM Punk went from WWE World Heavyweight Champion to getting demolished in the UFC. So why get bent out of shape about a show still finding its footing on TV? Jealousy works wonders in sports media.
When FOX Sports partnered with Barstool, I applauded the move. The goal was simple: FOX Sports taps into a younger digital audience, while Barstool gets a platform on national television. Barstool didn’t need FOX, but the benefits outweigh the costs.
Founder Dave Portnoy earns a prime spot on the network’s college football programming, while FOX gains the massive digital cross-promotion that Barstool provides.
A Slow Start Wasn’t Stunning
The focus of the partnership was never Wake Up Barstool, and it’s easy to see why.
When did FOX announce the show time, schedule, and rotation of cast members on the program? A week before the debut. Also, the week leading into a holiday weekend full of college football. Who’s paying attention during a week where people are more concerned with lining up their weekend plans for the holiday instead of making plans for appointment television on Tuesday?
Promoting a brand-new show with virtually no runway is tough. Wake Up Barstool airs live for two hours, then re-airs for two more—four hours every morning. That’s more than Colin Cowherd, Nick Wright, Danny Parkins, and the rest of FS1’s talent combined.
Did you watch the first show? I did. It was a little rough around the edges.
When you’ve never done true television before, bumps are inevitable.
The first episode was full of Portnoy asking for the “behind the scenes” to be explained to him live on air—where to look for certain highlights of discussion or even if they could use the highlights to discuss. He also didn’t know how to properly tease into a break, which is something he’s never done on any of his current Barstool-branded podcasts or video shows.
Portnoy even took a shot at FS1’s prior morning show and criticized his own graphics department for not having correct graphics created to cross-promote other Barstool Sports podcasts.
Then there was a moment where Portnoy referenced a story by CBS News, naming the outlet and misrepresenting the story itself to fit a Michigan narrative.
It got messy at times. Co-host Brandon Walker joked that at least Portnoy had attended rehearsals all week. Not exactly Marconi Award-winning content—but first impressions are harsh in live TV.
Viewership Is Low
When you don’t plan your execution, you have to expect the audience to reflect your level of care. First impressions are everything. If you believe the viewership figures presented online, viewership dropped 35% from episode one to episode two.
Last week, according to online figures, three shows dipped below 10,000 viewers.
“Awful” is how Portnoy described the viewership during the first week of the show, only to then blame lack of promotion and not knowing what to expect with the project. Keep in mind, this is a guy who does content for a living on top of running a successful digital brand. I would think there would be a little more planning for the venture they were about to take on.
It Takes Time
The show is wrapping up its third week on FS1 today, which is three more weeks than Barstool Van Talk lasted with ESPN. I wrote last month what my three keys to success for Wake Up Barstool would be. I tried to keep it simple.
The first was to be different and stand out. The content direction has certainly done that, playing into the Barstool Sports model: lots of inside Barstool discussions, references from podcasts, and digital replies.
The single biggest thing they needed to adjust for was television: commercial breaks, graphics, and highlights. The one element that most former sports radio hosts who go head-on into podcasting will tell you is having to unlearn everything you know about sports radio. Podcasting allows the freedom of time; television does not. You can tell Wake Up Barstool is still working through those learning lessons.
The second was shaking hands with FOX Sports: bringing in FOX Sports talent, personalities, and hosts to bridge the gap between partners. Wake Up Barstool has done that well. Greg Olsen and Rob Stone have made appearances, and you can see the ties between FOX Sports and the Big Ten Conference have led to some exclusive interviews with head coaches.
The third was to not lose what makes you the brand you are. The show has stayed very true to the brand and what appeals to the core audience. I recommended a free YouTube stream of the program because that’s where the Barstool audience lives. It had to be known at the time by FOX Sports executives that younger audiences don’t watch cable television.
If the focus is growing the audience, you need to play to the strength of the demo. Get the program live on YouTube and Barstool Sports social platforms. FOX Sports (so far) has bet that the Barstool audience will find FS1 on their cable plan or the new FOX One direct-to-consumer product.
They haven’t, and probably never will.
Why the Hate?
Barstool always has detractors waiting for failure. The public focus on viewership is just the latest example. But when you factor in talent, promotion, scheduling, and distribution, the results are hardly surprising.
It’s hard to change audience habits. Sports radio programmers (like myself) will tell you horror stories of trying to educate the audience to move away from the radio to the company-branded app. The digital metrics are not becoming more important; they are more important than traditional metrics for success. Viewership and rating share have become secondary to engagement and influence.
Wake Up Barstool is designed for a different audience and a different medium. Like Jordan in baseball or Punk in the UFC, Barstool is trying something new.
It may succeed, it may not—but there’s no need to dig the grave while the body is still warm.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
Like Jordan in baseball and Punk in UFC both were failures! lol. I just found out today that Wake-up Barstool is a thing. I watch the Fox 1 shows from 12 till get tired of the same takes, but didn’t know about the new show until I saw a graphic running under Cowherd’s show. From there I Googled the name and wound up here. I think they need a tad more promotion. I used to watch the other early morning shows until they got canceled, so I will probably watch Barstool. The name sucks though, Barstool Today would have been better. My viewership number will not appear since I don’t use cable to watch tv and I’m guessing must tech savvy younger fans also get programs “free” like me.
The lesson is don’t bury the prospect of something when it’s only weeks old. Brands/athletes that dominate their lane can try other things. Not saying the Barstool product is done for by any stretch. I’m just saying stop digging the grave so early. There’s other metrics that matter than viewership
What matters more than viewership for live broadcasts? Love the last line in the article.