Viewership Gap Between Stephen A. Smith’s First Take and Skip Bayless’ Undisputed Continues to Widen: Report

ESPN’s First Take has continued to dominate FS1’s Undisputed in the ratings, according to a report from Front Office Sports.

After losing popular analyst Shannon Sharpe, Undisputed went on hiatus for an extended period of time. The revamped show returned in late August with a new lineup of counterparts for Skip Bayless, including retired NFL players Keyshawn Johnson, Michael Irvin, and Richard Sherman.

While Undisputed took that break to find Sharpe’s successors, First Take didn’t miss a beat. In fact, when the show added Sharpe to its own lineup, First Take has had some of its most successful shows to date.

From September to November — the first three full months of the shows with their new lineups — First Take averaged 554,000 viewers. Undisputed, on the other hand, lagged well behind with just 120,000. November, the report said, was actually the most-watched month in the history of First Take with an average of 614,000.

The new Undisputed has still had its moments, however. During the first week, a segment went viral

when Bayless’ new partners got into a heated debate about wide receivers and cornerbacks. Unfortunately for FS1, it hasn’t been enough to dethrone First Take as the no. 1 sports talk show on TV.

Even before the debut of the new-look Undisputed, some at the network didn’t have high hopes. Fox insiders were reportedly upset that the show resorted to “copying” First Take by introducing a rotating lineup of guests.