The Heisman Trophy Presentation continued its persistent decline in viewership last weekend, topping only last year’s delayed, virtual edition as the least-watched this century.
Last Saturday’s Heisman Trophy Presentation averaged 1.85 million viewers on ESPN, topping only the previous edition in January (1.52M) as the least-watched edition of the awards show this century. Viewership fell 27% from the last time it was held in its usual December timeslot (2.54M).
Once a marquee television property, the Heisman presentation averaged nearly five million viewers less than a decade ago when Johnny Manziel won in 2012 (4.9M). The high water mark remains nearly six million for Mark Ingram’s win in 2009. It last averaged three million in 2015, though it came close three years later (2.93M).
It was not until this year — both last weekend’s ceremony and the delayed, virtual version in January — that the event slipped under the two million mark.
The Heisman remains among the most-watched sports awards shows, a genre that has taken a particularly hard hit in an era of diminished viewership. Only February’s NFL Honors averaged a larger audience, and even its 2.59 million viewers marked a new low for the event.
By comparison, July’s ESPY Awards averaged a record-low 1.21 million.
Average audience for Heisman Trophy Presentation, past century
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 12.14]
