ESPN’s “The Last Dance” continues to hold onto most of its audience.
Episodes five and six of the ESPN documentary series “The Last Dance” — about the final year of the Michael Jordan-led 1990s Chicago Bulls — averaged 5.5 million viewers across ESPN and ESPN2 Sunday night, down 7% from the previous week’s episodes (5.9M) and down 10% from the series debut (6.1M).
In particular, episode five averaged 5.8 million viewers and episode six a series-low 5.2 million.
“The Last Dance” is now averaging 5.8 million through six episodes and accounts for the six largest documentary audiences on ESPN since at least 2004.
Sunday’s numbers will rise even further when encore, DVR and on-demand viewing is included. Viewership for the previous week’s episodes three and four has now risen to 11.3 and 10.9 million, respectively. Episodes one and two have increased to 13.0 and 13.1 million.
Chicago led all markets Sunday with an 11.4 rating, followed by North Carolina markets Greensboro (5.7), Raleigh-Durham (5.5) and Charlotte (4.7). San Diego rounded out the top five with a 4.5.
In New York and Los Angeles, Sunday’s ratings increased 11 and 12 percent respectively from the first four episodes. Episodes five and six addressed Jordan’s rivalry with the Knicks and his relationship with Laker great Kobe Bryant.
[Nielsen estimates from ESPN]
