Just one week after ESPN (DIS) introduced “SportsCenter AM”, FS1 (FOXA) introduced its newest morning show, “First Things First”. The show pairs NFL Hall of Fame WR Chris Carter with Nick Wright and Jenna Wolfe, airing weekdays at 6:30 a.m., 30 minutes prior to its ESPN counterpart. The “First Things First” debut was particularly noteworthy for FS1, as it becomes the first ever NYC based show for the Los Angeles based network and the first time the network has had a presenting sponsor (PG) for a show’s launch. The 3-hour show gives FS1 11 hours of live daytime studio programming daily, as the network continues to move away from highlights and towards discussion/debate.
Howie Long-Short: FS1 has seen their show “Undisputed” with Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe grow 1,260% over the last year, to 137,000 viewers. The show actually beat SportsCenter in the 10a-Noon time slot for 2 consecutive weeks in August. Having a live lead-in is only going to help those numbers grow.
Fan Marino: Why did FS1 move “First Things First” to NYC? It’s simply not practical to produce a show that starts at 3 a.m. local time. Even if you could, it would be nearly impossible to book guests. Speaking of guests, moving to the East Coast gives the network access to a whole different group of potential on-set guests.
FS1 looks to establish NY, early-morning presence with ‘First Things First’
