In its second week on the air, “The Last Dance” retained nearly all of its debut audience.
Episodes three and four of the ESPN 30 For 30 series “The Last Dance” — about the final year of the Michael Jordan-led 1990s Chicago Bulls — averaged 5.9 million viewers across ESPN and ESPN2. Viewership slipped just 3% from the previous week (6.1M).
In particular, episode three averaged 6.14 million, trailing only episode one (6.34M) as the most-watched 30 For 30 premiere (series debuted in 2009). Episode four averaged 5.66 million.
“The Last Dance” now accounts for the four largest 30 For 30 audiences on record. Beyond 30 For 30, no ESPN original series has averaged a larger audience since 2004.
As was the case a week earlier, Chicago led all markets Sunday night with a 12.6 rating across the two episodes. Raleigh-Durham ranked second (6.0) followed by Philadelphia and Greensboro, N.C. (5.3 each). Charlotte rounded out the top five.
In Detroit, whose Pistons were a point of discussion in Sunday’s episodes, the telecasts averaged a 3.1 rating — up 37% from the previous week.
Notably, the first two episodes of “The Last Dance” attracted significantly larger audiences with delayed viewing included. Episode one averaged 9.61 million with DVR and on-demand viewing included and episode two 8.85 million.
Most-watched 30 For 30 premieres
[Nielsen estimates from ESPN PR 4.27]
