If you would like to ask about or request ratings for a program or event on these networks, please reach Douglas on Twitter @SonOfTheBronx.

Ratings News and Notes

  • An average of 1.25 million viewers tuned in to the May 14 edition of ESPN’s hourlong Baseball Tonight: Sunday Countdown program that featured the ceremony to retire Derek Jeter’s famed jersey No. 2 at Yankee Stadium. The telecast ranked as the network’s sixth most-watched for the week of May 8-14. An additional 724,000 viewers watched the 6-7:30 p.m. special of the same event on the Yankees’ regional sports network YES Network, which marked that network’s most-watched non-game telecast ever. The ceremony itself took place at 7:15-7:30 p.m. and drew 952,000 viewers to YES. (Source: YES Network)

    Despite the early domination by the visiting Houston Astros over the New York Yankees, ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball increased by 16 percent in viewership from the year-ago game Cardinals-Dodgers (1.93 million vs. 1.67 million).

  • The fourth (and final) week of professional bowling’s 2017 L.L. Bean PBA League Elias Cup (finals) on ESPN (May 14; 504,000 viewers) was down 21 percent from the year-ago PBA League Finals (May 1, 2016; 642,000 viewers) and down 25 percent from two years ago (Apr. 19, 2015; 673,000 viewers).

  • Each gsme of ESPN’s May 13 college softball tripleheader saw declines from last year:

    • Houston-Tulsa (early afternoon): 411,000 viewers (-15 percent from 484,000 of South Florida-Tulsa May 14, 2016)
    • North Carolina-Florida State (mid afternoon): 396,000 viewers (-19 percent from 486,000 of Notre Dame-Florida State May 14, 2016)
    • Ole Miss-LSU (prime time): 448,000 viewers (-24 percent from 587,000 of LSU-Auburn May 14, 2016 early evening)
  • The 2017 NCAA Div. I Women’s Softball Selection Show on ESPN2 May 14 (235,000 viewers) more than doubled the year-ago selection show (109,000 viewers on May 15, 2016) which had then aired on the lesser-available ESPNU.

  • The first round of the 2017 NCAA Div. I Men’s Lacrosse tournament on ESPNU May 13-14 averaged 67,000 viewers, down 28 percent from the year-ago first round weekend (May 14-15, 2016: 94,000).

  • The debut of the Sunday morning edition of E:60 on ESPN on May 14 drew 358,000 viewers and 206,000 adults 18-49; about one-third below the previous week’s combo of “Outside the Lines”/”Sports Reporters” (May 7, 2017: 533,000 viewers/311,000 adults 18-49) and -37 percent and -31 percent, respectively, from the year-ago “Outside the Lines”/”Sports Reporters” combo from May 15, 2016 (572,000 viewers/297,000 adults 18-49).

espnlogo

ESPN Top 25 (and Select) Programs


Click on image grid for larger view

In total viewership for its entire week in Prime Time (8 p.m. to 11 p.m.), ESPN is down -9 percent (1,656,000 vs. 1,818,000) from one week earlier and down -3 percent (1,656,000 vs. 1,708,000) from the same week one year ago (May 9-15, 2016).

In total viewership for its entire week in Total Day (6 a.m. to 5:59 a.m.), ESPN is down -21 percent (569,000 vs. 722,000) from one week earlier and down -5 percent (569,000 vs. 600,000) from the same week one year ago (May 9-15, 2016).

ESPN’s daily programs viewership averages for the week:

  • “First Take” (ESPN, May 8-12): 403,000 (222,000 adults 18-49)
  • “NFL Insiders” (ESPN, May 8-12): 307,000 (183,000 adults 18-49)
  • “NFL Live” (ESPN, May 8-13): 305,000 (178,000 adults 18-49)
  • “NBA: The Jump” (ESPN, May 8-12): 314,000 (183,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsNation” (ESPN, May 8-12): 320,000 (220,000 adults 18-49)
  • “Highly Questionable” (ESPN, May 8-12): 407,000 (239,000 adults 18-49)
  • “Around the Horn” (ESPN, May 8-12): 468,000 (261,000 adults 18-49)
  • “Pardon the Interruption” (ESPN, May 8-12): 694,000 (343,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsCenter” (ESPN, May 8-12 7 a.m.): 316,000 (189,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsCenter” (ESPN, May 8-12 8 a.m.): 291,000 (178,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsCenter” (ESPN, May 8-12 9 a.m.): 282,000 (163,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SC6 with Michael and Jemele” (ESPN, May 8-12 6 p.m.): 458,000 (277,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsCenter” (ESPN, May 8-12 11 p.m.): 1,107,000 (619,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsCenter” (ESPN, May 8-12 midnight): 582,000 (355,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsCenter at Night” (ESPN, May 8-12 1 a.m.): 455,000 (292,000 adults 18-49)

ESPN2

ESPN2 Top 25 (and Select) Programs


Click on image grid for larger view

In total viewership for its entire week in Prime Time (8 p.m. to 11 p.m.), ESPN2 is down -10 percent (138,000 vs. 154,000) from one week earlier and down -5 percent (138,000 vs. 146,000) from the same week one year ago (May 9-15, 2016).

In total viewership for its entire week in Total Day (6 a.m. to 5:59 a.m.), ESPN2 is down -9 percent (125,000 vs. 137,000) from one week earlier and down -35 percent (125,000 vs. 191,000) from the same week one year ago (May 9-15, 2016).

ESPN2’s daily show viewership averages for the week:

  • “Mike & Mike in the Morning” (ESPN2, May 8-12): 219,000 (112,000 adults 18-49)
  • “Dan Le Batard Show (live)” (ESPN2, May 8-12): 79,000 (50,000 adults 18-49)
  • “MLB Network’s Intentional Talk” (ESPN2, May 8-10): 75,000 (44,000 adults 18-49)
  • “Nacion ESPN” (ESPN2, May 8 5 p.m.): 42,000 (27,000 adults 18-49)
  • “Jalen & Jacoby” (ESPN2, May 10-12): 78,000 (47,000 adults 18-49)
  • “Best of Mike & Mike in the Morning” (ESPN2, May 9): 105,000 (44,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsCenter” (ESPN2, May 8-12 10 a.m.): 125,000 (72,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsCenter” (ESPN2, May 8-12 11 a.m.): 116,000 (65,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsCenter” (ESPN2, May 9 & 12 7 p.m.): 135,000 (74,000 adults 18-49)

ESPNU

ESPNU Top 25 (and Select) Programs


Click on image grid for larger view

In total viewership for its entire week in Prime Time (8 p.m. to 11 p.m.), ESPNU is even (46,000 vs. 46,000) from one week earlier and down -32 percent (46,000 vs. 68,000) from the same week one year ago (May 9-15, 2016).

In total viewership for its entire week in Total Day (6 a.m. to 5:59 a.m.), ESPNU is up +23 percent (27,000 vs. 22,000) from one week earlier and down -34 percent (27,000 vs. 41,000) from the same week one year ago (May 9-15, 2016).

ESPNU’s daily show viewership averages for the week:

  • “Dan Le Batard Show” (ESPNU, May 8-12): 21,000 (15,000 adults 18-49)

Source: Live+Same Day data, Nielsen Media Research

About Douglas Pucci

Douglas Pucci is a contributor to Programming Insider and blogger at Son of the Bronx.