ABC simulcast drives Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest to record viewership

The new ABC simulcast brought a record audience for the 2026 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. ESPN announced that the half-hour simulcast across ABC and ESPN2 averaged 5 million viewers. The previous Hot Dog Contest highs were 1.9 million for live coverage in 2011 and 2.8 million for taped coverage in 2014. Viewership was…