The ESPY Awards continues to benefit from a move to ABC, though less so than in previous years.
The ESPYs delivered a 3.4 final rating and 5.3 million viewers on ABC Wednesday night, down 6% in ratings and 5% in viewership from last year (3.6, 5.6M) and down a third and 31% respectively from 2015 (5.1, 7.7M).
Despite the declines, Wednesday’s telecast trails only the past two years as the highest rated and most-watched ESPY Awards ever. Prior to moving to ABC in 2015, the show had never exceeded a 2.3 or 3.6 million.
In adults 18-49, Wednesday’s telecast delivered a 1.4 rating — down 18% from last year (1.7) and down 36% from 2015 (2.2). The 1.4 is the third-best for the show since 2006 (1.6).
The ESPYs ranks as the top awards show in sports, easily outpacing the NFL Honors on FOX in February (1.9, 3.2M, 0.8 A18-49). It was not, however, the top show of the night on television — ranking third in viewership and second in adults 18-49.
[Wed. numbers via Programming Insider 7.13]
