The ESPY Awards returned to its normal format and night for the first time in three years, but viewership fell well short of that 2019 edition.
Wednesday’s ESPY Awards averaged a 1.5 rating and just shy of 2.5 million viewers on ABC, down 42% in ratings and 35% in viewership from 2019, the previous year the event was held in its normal format and on its usual night — the off-day after the MLB All-Star Game (2.6, 3.87M).
Last year’s ESPYs averaged in the neighborhood of 1.2 million viewers on ABC, but that was on a Saturday night filled with sporting events. Two years ago, a slimmed-down, fanless, pre-taped edition averaged 482,000 on ESPN and ESPN2 during the slowest period in sports history.
Not counting the past two years, this year’s ESPYs ranks as the least-watched since 2013 (2.27M) and is tied as the lowest rated since 2011 (1.3). The event had averaged at least a 2.0 rating and three million viewers in its previous airings on ABC (2015-19).
ESPY Awards ratings, viewership (1996-present)
In an era of declining television viewership, sporting events have dominated all other programs even as their own audiences have declined. Not so for the ESPYs, which ranked ninth for the night in viewership, fourth in adults 18-34 and third in 18-49 and 25-54.
The ESPYs still ranks second among sports awards shows over the past year, trailing the NFL Honors on ABC and NFL Network in February (3.0M) and ahead of the Heisman Trophy Presentation last December (1.85M). The previous sports awards show, the NHL Awards on ESPN last month, averaged 247,000.
(Nielsen estimates from Programming Insider 7.21)
