ESPN scored its largest audience for a UFC main event since its first one 15 months ago.
The eighth UFC on ESPN main event averaged a 0.75 rating and 1.20 million viewers Saturday night, marking the most-watched main event on linear TV since ESPN’s first Fight Night in February of last year (1.46M).
Including PPV prelims, it was the most-watched UFC telecast since this past February — when UFC 247 prelims averaged 1.49 million immediately following a Duke-North Carolina college basketball game.
Ratings increased 67% and viewership 79% from ESPN’s previous main event in March, which was originally scheduled to air exclusively on ESPN+ (0.45, 672K). Compared to its previous scheduled main event, which took place last December, ratings increased 17% (from 0.6) and viewership 12% (from 1.07M).
Versus the previous week’s UFC 248 prelims on ESPN, ratings and viewership increased 9% and 4% respectively from a 0.7 and 1.15 million. That telecast had an earlier 6 PM ET start and lasted an hour longer.
For the weekend, the UFC ranked fifth among sportscasts behind the return of the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington on FOX (6.32M), the final two episodes of ESPN’s “The Last Dance” (5.89M and 5.40M) and the “Driving Relief” charity golf event on NBC, NBCSN and Golf Channel (2.32M).
Saturday’s prelims averaged a 0.45 and 690,000.
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 5.19]
