A Major Shift: The Heisman Trophy Ceremony Moves from ESPN to ABC
For over three decades, the Heisman Trophy Presentation has been a December highlight on ESPN, but this year, the iconic event is making a significant leap — it’s moving to ABC. This transition marks the first time since 1993 that the ceremony will be broadcast on a major network channel, with ABC set to air the event on December 13. That year, NBC was the last broadcast home before ESPN took over the torch for an impressive 31 consecutive years.
But here’s where it gets intriguing: along with the change in network, the ceremony’s start time is advancing to 7 PM Eastern Time. Positioned in a truly packed college football lineup on ABC, the presentation will air between an FCS football quarterfinal game and the LA Bowl, creating a full day dedicated to college football fans.
The move to ABC became possible because of shifts in the NBA schedule and broadcasting rights. ABC used to show a primetime NBA game on the second Saturday in December, coinciding with NBA Cup knockout stage matches. However, thanks to the NBA’s new media rights deal, those NBA Cup games have become exclusive to Amazon. This newly freed slot on ABC is now ripe for college football programming — a boon for football enthusiasts.
This change signals the end of an era for ESPN’s December calendar. The Heisman Trophy night used to be a major television event, drawing up to six million viewers in 2009 — a time before Nielsen included out-of-home viewing in their ratings. ESPN leveraged this large audience to launch special programming, such as movie premieres like “3: The Dale Earnhardt Story” or high-profile documentaries in the celebrated “30 for 30” series. Unfortunately, in recent years, interest diminished, with viewership dropping as low as 1.6 million in 2022, causing the event to blend into ESPN’s regular schedule without much fanfare.
Interestingly, last year bucked that trend, experiencing a rebound to 2.5 million viewers, largely boosted by Travis Hunter, the star wide receiver from the “Coach Prime” Colorado team, who took home the trophy. Could this be a sign of renewed interest in the Heisman?
With college football coming to ABC, ESPN is refocusing its December 13 programming toward college basketball. Fans can look forward to an intense quadrupleheader that day featuring marquee matchups: Memphis vs. Louisville, Kansas vs. NC State, Indiana vs. Kentucky, and Arizona vs. Alabama, all airing from 3:30 to 11:30 PM ET.
This broadcasting shuffle offers a lot to unpack and contrast. Is moving such a beloved event away from a dedicated sports cable network to a broader broadcast channel a step forward or backward? Does ABC’s broader reach mean a wider audience for college football’s most prestigious award, or will it dilute the excitement that ESPN carefully cultivated?
What are your thoughts on this shift — does moving the Heisman Trophy ceremony to ABC breathe new life into the tradition or risk losing the intimate sports community vibe? Share your opinions and let the debate begin!
Jon Lewis has expertly covered sports media daily since 2006 as the founder and lead writer at Sports Media Watch. For questions or comments, reach out via the Sports Media Watch website or on social platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky.
