Dave Portnoy, the founder of Barstool Sports, has openly expressed skepticism regarding the television viewership numbers for FS1’s morning program, Wake Up Barstool. During a recent episode of The Unnamed Show, Portnoy referred to the reported viewership as “minuscule,” suggesting that such figures may not adequately represent the show’s actual audience reach. He raised concerns over the reliability of traditional Nielsen ratings, particularly for niche programs, citing their small sample size as a source for potential inaccuracies.
“The numbers are so minuscule, like they can be just wildly inaccurate, because they’re very small,” Portnoy noted, emphasizing the difficulties in interpreting these ratings. He questioned how many viewers have devices that track their viewing habits and the overall methodology behind these audience measurements.
Portnoy’s remarks highlight an ongoing challenge within the sports media landscape, where conventional television ratings often fail to account for the growing influence of digital viewership, especially among younger demographics. Despite his concerns about linear ratings, he acknowledged that Wake Up Barstool is gaining traction on social media and digital platforms. “There’s definitely a lot of social media, and it… we didn’t even promote it. We started with nothing,” Portnoy reflected. He expressed optimism that the show will gradually build its audience over time.
Furthermore, Portnoy noted that the show’s YouTube viewership aligns with expectations, particularly peaking during segments featuring him and co-host Dan “Big Cat” Katz. However, he also observed a decline in viewership after those segments. “The numbers of people watching, like mine and Dan, go one, two, and then it goes down a little bit. It’s what you would think,” he said.
Portnoy admitted to being selective about his involvement, focusing primarily on Monday episodes. This illustrates the team’s early stages of experimenting with different formats and content as they seek to find their niche in the morning show space.
Since its launch on FS1 earlier this year, Wake Up Barstool has aimed to fuse sports commentary with pop culture and Barstool’s signature irreverent humor. In its debut episode, Portnoy humorously remarked on the low viewership of prior programming, stating, “You can’t go zero to negative zero. So maybe, we can only go up.”
Despite his candid comments regarding the early viewership being “awful,” Portnoy remains hopeful that the show can eventually carve out a significant presence in the competitive morning television landscape.