Fall Programming: Sports

Prime Time for Sports Fans

If you like sports, autumn is definitely your time — October, especially. Literally everywhere you look, awesome sports programming is available. By October, the NFL and college football seasons are solidly in motion, and fans are glued to the TV. Assessing its performance at the end of October in 2022, ESPN estimated that Monday Night Football viewership was up 11% compared to the same period in 2021. And in the middle of the 2022 season, ESPN was on pace for its most-watched season of college football in years.

NASCAR’s season is in its final laps in October. And NASCAR is trying some new things this year which are increasing ratings, including a road race through the streets of Chicago in July which was the second-most-watched race of the season, after the Daytona 500.

Also in its final innings is the Major League Baseball season, with the MLB Playoffs taking up the entire month of October. Last year, the introduction of the Wild Card Series to the playoffs saw viewership up 64% versus 2021, and the Mets/Padres Wild Card Series averaged 3.7 million viewers per game.

And, as if all that weren’t enough for the dedicated sports fan, the NHL season hits the ice on October 10th and the NBA season tips off on October 24.

All in all, autumn, and especially October, is a prime season for sports programming, and Optimum Media has packages available for all of your favorite sports. Talk to your account executive today about how to leverage this programming and its fans to increase awareness for your business.