I wrote about First Take’s move to ESPN earlier this month after a few days of data were in and gave the move a C- grade.
10+ days of additional data haven’t change the landscape. Through Friday January 20:
- First Take on ESPN is up 18% versus the same period last year when it was on ESPN2
- First Take has improved its margin of victory relative to ESPN
- The 10-Noon SportsCenters are down 60% on ESPN2 versus the same period last year when it was on ESPN
- The combined average of the First Take & SportsCenter from 10-noon ET is down 19% vs last year
- Immediately prior to moving First Take to ESPN, the combined average of the two shows was down around 25% versus last year so there’s an argument to be made that the move helped. Down 19% is better than down 25%
Prior to moving First Take to ESPN both First Take and the 10-noon SportsCenter dominated whatever was airing on FS1. But since the move Undisputed has beaten ESPN2’s SportsCenter a few times.
Overall ESPN is about in the same boat as it was before except:
- the people at First Take are surely happier
- the people doing AM SportsCenter are surely unhappier
- FS1’s Jamie Horowitz is smiling more
ESPN might have a reasonable case to make that First Take was a higher priority for it than AM SportsCenter. And ESPN certainly has a case to make that First Take was a higher priority than making Jamie Horowitz miserable. But after a couple of years of Horowitz somewhat ridiculously pronouncing SportsCenter vulnerable, ESPN gave Horowitz an in to say, “See? I believe I had that!”
Fri (1/20), @FS1‘s @Undisputed scored its third head-to-head win over SportsCenter, by +28% on viewership (127,000 v 99,000) from 10a-12p ET
— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) January 23, 2017
That rankles.
Here are the numbers since First Take’s move to ESPN on Tuesday, January 3 through Friday, January 20:
| Day | First Take 2017 ESPN | First Take 2016 (ESPN2) | % Change | 10-Noon ESPN2 2017 | 10-Noon ESPN 2016 | % Chg | Undisputed FS1 2017 |
| Tuesday | 647 | 438 | 48% | 133 | 480 | -72% | 103 |
| Wednesday | 478 | 423 | 13% | 130 | 332 | -61% | 129 |
| Thursday | 530 | 473 | 12% | 121 | 359 | -66% | 116 |
| Friday | 437 | 415 | 5% | 162 | 340 | -52% | 125 |
| Monday | 530 | 584 | -9% | 191 | 351 | -46% | 155 |
| Tuesday | 779 | 359 | 117% | 254 | 516 | -51% | 174 |
| Wednesday | 426 | 453 | -6% | 160 | 421 | -62% | 116 |
| Thursday | 456 | 450 | 1% | 186 | 422 | -56% | 105 |
| Friday | 482 | 463 | 4% | 180 | 421 | -65% | 133 |
| Monday | 851 | 604 | 41% | 257 | 520 | -36% | 283 |
| Tuesday | 438 | 389 | 13% | 144 | 400 | -64% | 102 |
| Wednesday | 423 | 367 | 15% | 90 | 336 | -73% | 92 |
| Thursday | 536 | 436 | 23% | 110 | 324 | -66% | 100 |
| Friday | 384 | 440 | -13% | 99 | 346 | -71% | 121 |
| Average | 528 | 450 | 18% | 158 | 398 | -60% | 132 |
| 2016 combined avg | 847 | ||||||
| 2017 combined avg | 687 | ||||||
| Change | -19% |