ESPN is setting its sights on a historic milestone: making its first Super Bowl broadcast the most-watched ever. The network's ambitions were laid out during Disney's upfront presentation in Manhattan, where NFL Live host Laura Rutledge boldly declared that ESPN aims to break the all-time viewership record when it airs Super Bowl LXI on February 14, 2027.
That's no small feat. The current record belongs to Fox's broadcast of Super Bowl LIX, which saw the Philadelphia Eagles dominate the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in February 2025, drawing an incredible 127.71 million average viewers. Toppling that number will require ESPN to bring its A-game—and then some.
For years, ESPN and its parent company Disney watched from the sidelines as rivals Fox, CBS, and NBC reaped hundreds of millions in ad revenue from the year's most-watched television event. That frustration fueled a burning desire to finally get a seat at the table. That moment arrived in 2021, when ESPN secured a groundbreaking 10-year NFL deal that added the network to the Super Bowl rotation starting with the 2026 season and again after the 2030 season.
The significance of ESPN's maiden Super Bowl wasn't lost on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. He made a rare live appearance alongside Monday Night Football's Joe Buck at Disney's upfront—the only such appearance Goodell made among NFL media partners this year. It was a clear signal that the league is just as invested in ESPN's success as the network itself.
With Disney's full backing, ESPN is leaving nothing to chance. The network is pulling out all the stops to turn its ambitious goal into reality. Here's a look at five key moves ESPN is making to ensure its first Super Bowl is the biggest yet:
First, there will be no rookies in the broadcast booth. ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro pulled off a major coup in 2022 by luring Troy Aikman and Joe Buck away from Fox. Together, they've called six Super Bowls for Fox, bringing unmatched experience and chemistry. They'll be joined by veteran sideline reporters Laura Rutledge and Lisa Salters, forming one of the most seasoned Big Game broadcast teams ever assembled.
Aikman, widely regarded as the best current NFL game analyst, has been making the rounds—appearing at the upfront, chatting with Mike Greenberg on Get Up, and starring alongside Buck, Greenberg, and Rutledge in a commercial that humorously pokes fun at the pressure of the moment. The message is clear: ESPN is ready to deliver a Super Bowl broadcast that will go down in history.