ESPN again proved something this week that broadcasters first learned decades ago — sports events on weekday afternoons don’t draw nearly the audience as those shown in prime time.
The network broadcast the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft Thursday afternoon. Usually held the same day as the first round, which had been Wednesday, the second round had been originally scheduled for Thursday in prime time, but got moved because the league and network did not want to compete with the presidential debate.
So the second round got stuck with an unenviable late-afternoon slot, and the ratings took a predictable hit. According to Sports Media Watch, ESPN drew 895,000 viewers for the second round — down 25% from 1.19 million in 2023. Proving the continued power of LeBron James to move ratings, Thursday’s broadcast peaked at 1.23 million viewers around 6 p.m. ET, when the Los Angeles Lakers picked James’ son, Bronny, No. 55 overall.
It’s not as if anyone was surprised the numbers would be down, given the afternoon time slot. Sports Media Watch reports Wednesday night’s first-round coverage averaged 4.41 million viewers on ESPN and ABC, down 11% from 2023. Once again, that’s not surprising, as this year’s draft lacked the star power of 2023’s class, which featured generational talent Victor Wembanyama.
[Sports Media Watch; Photo Credit: ESPN[
