Latest / Locked On Big 12 | Daily College Football & Basketball Podcast
YIKES: SEC Football Viewership Is PLUMMETING, ESPN Losing MONEY Over Greg Sankey's Failure vs Big 10
As the 2026 college football season concludes, a fascinating divergence has emerged in the "viewership wars." While many pundits—often those propped up by the ESPN marketing machine—continue to champion the SEC as the undisputed king of eyes, the actual data suggests that the Big Ten and even the Big 12 are closing the gap in ways that make the SEC’s "lead" feel increasingly fragile and artificial.
The "ABC Subsidy"
The SEC’s 2025-26 viewership numbers (averaging 4.9 million per game) are undeniably higher than the Big Ten’s 2.8 million, but analysts point to the "ABC Subsidy" as the primary…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.