The latest ESPN 30 For 30 had a steep decline in ratings and viewership. In other news, ESPN put up low numbers for a Wednesday NBA doubleheader, and last weekend’s MLS action sank on ESPN and Fox Sports 1.
ESPN’s Latest 30 For 30 Down Big
- The premiere of ESPN’s 30 For 30 documentary Fantastic Lies earned a 1.0 final rating and 1.5 million viewers last Sunday night, down a third in ratings and 36% in viewership from I Hate Christian Laettner last year (1.5, 2.3M) and flat and up 1%, respectively, from Requiem For the Big East in 2014 (1.47M to 1.46M). (via Programming Insider)
NBA Wednesday Low on ESPN
- Wednesday’s Clippers/Rockets NBA regular season game drew a 0.8 final rating and 1.2 million viewers on ESPN, down 27% in ratings and 23% in viewership from Hawks/Warriors last year (1.1, 1.6M) and down 27% and 18%, respectively, from Spurs/Lakers in 2014 (1.1, 1.5M). Thunder/Celtics had 989,000 earlier in the night, up 17% from Magic/Mavericks last year (847K) but down 41% from Pacers/Knicks in ’14 (1.7M). Oklahoma City’s win was the tenth game of the season with fewer than one million viewers (not counting NBA TV), compared to eight at the same point last year. (via Programming Insider)
Double-Digit Declines For MLS on ESPN, FS1
- Last Sunday’s New York City F.C./Toronto F.C. Major League Soccer match drew 197,000 viewers on ESPN2, down 32% from NYC F.C./Revolution last year (289K). Later in the night, Earthquakes/Timbers scored 175,000 on Fox Sports 1 — down 11% from last year’s Timbers/Galaxy matchup (197K). (via Sports TV Ratings)
