After a record turnout in the metered markets, the first part of ESPN’s O.J. Simpson miniseries fell to second place in the final nationals.
Part 1 of the ESPN 30 For 30 documentary O.J.: Made in America earned a 2.3 final rating and 3.4 million viewers on ABC Saturday night, the second-most watched 30 For 30 premiere behind You Don’t Know Bo in 2012 (3.6M). No other 30 For 30 premiere has cracked the three million mark.
Saturday’s telecast also tied the highest rating ever for a 30 For 30 doc, matching You Don’t Know Bo.
O.J.: Made in America was not the night’s top program in ratings, viewership or the adults 18-49 demographic (0.9). It trailed two episodes of CBS’ 48 Hours in the first two measures and Univision’s Colombia/Costa Rica Copa America match in the demo (1.2).
It also trailed the combined figures for the United States/Paraguay Copa America match, a 2.2 and 3.9 million across Univision (1.2, 2.1M) and Fox Sports 1 (1.0, 1.8M).*
Still, the documentary did top Major League Baseball on FOX (1.8, 2.9M) and an interestingly timed marathon of the FX dramatization The People vs. O.J. Simpson. The two episodes that aired opposite the documentary had 569,000 viewers (9 PM ET) and 633,000 (10 PM).
Of note, the premiere episode of the FX drama had 5.1 million viewers and a 2.0 rating in adults 18-49 back in February, but that did not have to air on a Saturday night.
* Copa America numbers include pre-match coverage.
(Sat. numbers via Programming Insider)
