Second Annual NFL Flag Championships Reached 7.7 Million Fans Across ESPN, ABC, Disney and NFL platforms

• Youth-centric Event Reached 65% More Fans Than Inaugural Event
  

The NFL Flag Championships reached 7.7 million fans across 22 linear games throughout three days (July 18-20) of coverage on ESPN, ABC, Disney and NFL platforms. The second annual event, which reached 65% more fans than the inaugural event in 2024, showcased games from three specific groups of elite youth flag football players – the girls high school division, boys 14 under division and the international division.

Please note: the reach number is comprised of metrics from the linear broadcasts which were also available on digital platforms. The 7.7 million fans do not account for metrics from the 11 games exclusively on digital platforms.

After coverage of multiple rounds of games which started with the round of 16 on Friday, the girls high school division and boys 14U division tournaments culminated on Championship Sunday with stellar play and excitement.

On ABC, Disney, ESPN and NFL platforms, the girls’ and boys’ championship games’ broadcast window (4-6 p.m. ET) averaged 619,000 viewers, with the boys’ game averaging 464,000 viewers (4-5 p.m.) leading into the girls’ game which averaged 766,000 viewers (5-6 p.m.). The audience peaked in the final quarter hour of the broadcast window (5:45-6 p.m.), averaging 878,000 viewers.

Across ESPN’s social platforms, the tournament experienced triple-digit growth in two key areas over the three days of competition:

• Total Engagements: 3.3 million (up +198%)
• Total Video Views: 40.3 million (up +148%)

All social metrics are compared to the 2024 inaugural event.

Over the course of the four-day event, 25,000 fans attended the NFL Flag Championships.

ESPN, Disney, and NFL’s Coverage of the NFL Flag Championships
Over the three action-packed days, which drew nearly 3,000 youth participants, ESPN delivered more than 33 hours of coverage, which aired and streamed across 11 platforms including ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPN+, Disney+, Disney XD, Disney Channel, ESPN Deportes, NFL+, NFL Network and ESPN YouTube channels.

Reach is defined by the total number of viewers who sampled the product for at least one minute throughout the event. In 2025, ESPN broadcasted 22 games on linear vs. 18 in 2024.