The summer of 2023 was a tumultuous one for ESPN.
Its parent company, The Walt Disney Co. (DIS) -), laid off thousands of employees, and some of the network's top talents like Jeff Van Gundy and Suzy Kolber were let go.
But ESPN wasn't exactly cutting down on spending on talent. The company brought in Pat McAfee by licensing his show and extend other top talents like Mina Kimes and Mike Breen.
Then in August, it brought in one of the biggest names in the sports media industry: Shannon Sharpe.
Sharpe, who topped Complex's list of most entertaining sports media personalities for 2023, left FS1 (FOXA) -) and the show 'Undisputed' in June. He had been on the show alongside Skip Bayless since 2016.
Related: Stephen A. Smith, ‘First Take’ achieve notable record in Shannon Sharpe’s debut
The two "Undisputed" hosts had butted heads on air a few times, but the final straw appeared to come after Bayless' tweet about Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin in January.
ESPN then brought in Sharpe to join Stephen A. Smith twice a week on its flagship debate show, "First Take." On the other side, Bayless and "Undisputed" made major adjustments themselves, bringing in a crew that included former ESPN hosts Michael Irvin and Keyshawn Johnson alongside another NFL great, Richard Sherman.
The shows have now been on air with their new teams for about three months, and the ratings results show that ESPN and "First Take" have increased their gap over their FS1 rivals.
Related: Stephen A. Smith strongly defends Pat McAfee and Aaron Rodgers on ESPN's 'First Take'
According to a report by Front Office Sports, "First Take" averaged 554,000 viewers from September to November versus 120,000 for "Undisputed." The report also looked at recent two-week data — from Nov. 27 to Dec. 8 — that showed that "First Take" drew five times more viewers than "Undisputed."
Ratings for "Undisputed" are also lower than they were during Sharpe's final month with the show, which averaged 154,000 viewers.
While "First Take" has a dominant position, the numbers are definitely not definitive of the future for the two programs and networks. FOS reports that FS1's other programs like "Speak" and "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" saw strong growth in November.
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