What channel is the hot dog eating contest on today? Time, TV schedule for Nathan's 2020

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It's July 4th, so you know what that means — sun's out, buns out.

By buns, we mean the ones on hot dogs, of course. If you're looking for copious amounts of calories and gleeful gluttons shoving frankfurter after frankfurter down their gullets, then Nathan's has the event for you: in just a few hours, competitive eaters will be taking the stage at a private location for the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.

While the coronavirus has closed off the event to the public, contestant's mouths and stomachs are as open as ever, with Miki Sudo and Joey Chestnut looking to continue their reigns of terror over the women's and men's divisions, respectively.

So while you're waiting for your grills to warm up and taking inventory on your fireworks, here's what you need to know to tune into the show:

MORE: Odds & betting guide for Nathan's contest 2020

What time is the hot dog eating contest today?

  • Start time: 12 p.m. ET
  • TV channel: ESPN (TSN in Canada) 

Well before your hot dogs hit the grill, competitors will be shoving dogs into their own grills.

The first showing of the 2020 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest happens at noon today on ESPN, starting with the women's half of the competition. Defending champ Miki Sudo looks to make it seven in a row, and is once again the prohibitive favorite for the women's division this year. Over those championship runs, she's devoured 219 1/2 hot dogs, eclipsing the 40-dog mark once in 2017.

Sudo has a chance to break the women's record 45 hot dogs this year, held by the legendary Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas. Thomas last competed in the event in 2017.

The men take the stage soon after the ladies wrap up clean off, with Joey Chestnut looking to secure his 13th Mustard Belt. Once again, "Jaws" is the odds-on favorite to secure the championship, adding to an already-record 12 titles. Chestnut's reign at the top has been a sight to behold, blowing competition out of the water every year: Chestnut has out-eaten the second-place winners 287 to 227 over his current four-year championship reign.

Hot dog eating contest TV schedule

If you miss the initial showing of the contest, you'll have plenty more opportunities to catch the competitors on the tube:

Network Date Time
ESPN Saturday, July 4 12 p.m.
ESPNNews Saturday, July 4 2 p.m.
ESPN2 Saturday, July 4 4 p.m.
ESPN2 Saturday, July 4 8 p.m.
ESPNNews Saturday, July 4 9 p.m.
ESPNNews Sunday, July 5 12 a.m.
ESPNNews Sunday, July 5 2 p.m.
ESPN2 Sunday, July 5 11 p.m.
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Joe Rivera is a senior content producer at The Sporting News and teaches Multimedia Sports Reporting at his alma mater, Rutgers University.