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

  • Despite starting during the long Independence Day weekend, first week coverage of the Wimbledon tennis tournament on ESPN averaged 633,000 viewers from July 3-8, a 7-percent increase over last year (June 27-July 2, 2016: average of 590,000 viewers). But, it was down 11 percent from two years ago (June 29-July 4, 2015: average of 715,000 viewers).

  • Joey Chestnut’s tenth championship title during live coverage of the 2017 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest from Coney Island, N.Y. drew 1.114 million viewers on July 4. It was ESPN2’s most-watched telecast since the NFL Draft on Apr. 28. The event was down 16 percent from last year’s tape-delayed telecast on ESPN (July 4, 2016: 1.328 million viewers) but only off by 1 percent from the most-recent live telecast on ESPN2 (July 4, 2015: 1.129 million viewers). Aided by World Cup soccer coverage as a lead-in, the 2014 hot dog contest (2.8 million) remains the event’s top-viewed edition of all-time.

  • Highly-hyped Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball’s first two NBA Summer League games on July 7 (vs. L.A. Clippers; 879,000 viewers) and July 8 (vs. Boston; 1.106 million viewers) from Las Vegas, Nev. on ESPN drew the two all-time most-watched NBA Summer League telecasts to-date.

  • ESPN’s July 4th Major League Baseball doubleheader of Pittsburgh Pirates-Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox-Texas Rangers averaged 599,000 viewers and 216,000 adults 18-49, down 11 percent (in viewers) and down 18 percent (in adults 18-49) from last year’s Colorado-San Francisco and Detroit-Cleveland (July 4, 2016: average of 675,000 viewers/264,000 adults 18-49).

espnlogo

ESPN Top 25 (and Select) Programs

ESPN ratings for July 3-9, 2017
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In total viewership for its entire week in Prime Time (8 p.m. to 11 p.m.), ESPN is down -27 percent (773,000 vs. 1,064,000) from one week earlier and up +15 percent (773,000 vs. 670,000) from the same week one year ago (July 4-10, 2016).

In total viewership for its entire week in Total Day (6 a.m. to 5:59 a.m.), ESPN is down -4 percent (496,000 vs. 515,000) from one week earlier and down -34 percent (496,000 vs. 748,000) from the same week one year ago (July 4-10, 2016).

ESPN’s daily programs viewership averages for the week:

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  • “First Take” (ESPN, June 26-30 10 a.m.): 476,000 (264,000 adults 18-49)
  • “Outside the Lines: First Report” (ESPN, June 26-30): 319,000 (185,000 adults 18-49)
  • “NFL Live” (ESPN, June 26-30): 285,000 (162,000 adults 18-49)
  • “NBA: The Jump” (ESPN, June 26-30): 350,000 (201,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsNation” (ESPN, June 26-30): 361,000 (218,000 adults 18-49)
  • “Highly Questionable” (ESPN, June 26-30): 434,000 (262,000 adults 18-49)
  • “Around the Horn” (ESPN, June 26-30): 476,000 (261,000 adults 18-49)
  • “Pardon the Interruption” (ESPN, June 26-30): 702,000 (348,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsCenter” (ESPN, June 26-30 7 a.m.): 276,000 (141,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsCenter” (ESPN, June 26-30 8 a.m.): 282,000 (144,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsCenter” (ESPN, June 26-30 9 a.m.): 335,000 (176,000 adults 18-49)
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  • “SportsCenter” (ESPN, July 3 & 5-7 6 p.m.): 287,000 (159,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsCenter” (ESPN, July 5-7 11 p.m.): 418,000 (226,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsCenter” (ESPN, July 3-7 midnight): 386,000 (191,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsCenter at Night” (ESPN, July 3-7 1 a.m.): 322,000 (182,000 adults 18-49)

ESPN2

ESPN2 Top 25 (and Select) Programs

ESPN2 ratings for July 3-9, 2017
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In total viewership for its entire week in Prime Time (8 p.m. to 11 p.m.), ESPN2 is up +27 percent (232,000 vs. 182,000) from one week earlier and down -10 percent (232,000 vs. 257,000) from the same week one year ago (July 4-10, 2016).

In total viewership for its entire week in Total Day (6 a.m. to 5:59 a.m.), ESPN2 is up +41 percent (185,000 vs. 131,000) from one week earlier and down -16 percent (185,000 vs. 219,000) from the same week one year ago (July 4-10, 2016).

ESPN2’s daily show viewership averages for the week:

  • “Mike & Mike in the Morning” (ESPN2, July 3-7): 108,000 (53,000 adults 18-49)
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  • “Dan Le Batard Show (live)” (ESPN2, June 26-30): 76,000 (47,000 adults 18-49)
  • “MLB Network’s Intentional Talk” (ESPN2, June 26-30): 69,000 (31,000 adults 18-49)
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  • “Nacion ESPN” (ESPN2, July 3 5-6 p.m.): 60,000 (31,000 adults 18-49)
  • “Best of Mike & Mike in the Morning” (ESPN2, Late July 3 & 5-6 5 a.m.): 45,000 (27,000 adults 18-49)
  • “Outside the Lines: First Report” (ESPN2, July 5-7): 189,000 (102,000 adults 18-49)
  • “NFL Live” (ESPN2, July 3 & 5-7): 212,000 (111,000 adults 18-49)
  • “NBA: The Jump” (ESPN2, July 6-7): 236,000 (142,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsNation” (ESPN2, July 6-7): 258,000 (151,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsCenter” (ESPN2, July 3-7 7 a.m.): 147,000 (76,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsCenter” (ESPN2, July 3-7 8 a.m.): 184,000 (101,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsCenter” (ESPN2, July 3-7 9 a.m.): 220,000 (126,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsCenter” (ESPN2, July 3-7 10 a.m.): 251,000 (137,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsCenter” (ESPN2, July 3-7 11 a.m.): 242,000 (141,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsCenter” (ESPN2, July 3 & 6-7): 171,000 (80,000 adults 18-49)
  • “SportsCenter” (ESPN2, July 4 11 p.m.): 114,000 (53,000 adults 18-49)
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  • “SportsCenter” (ESPN2, July 3 midnight): 116,000 (66,000 adults 18-49)
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ESPNU

ESPNU Top 25 (and Select) Programs

ESPNU ratings for July 3-9, 2017
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In total viewership for its entire week in Prime Time (8 p.m. to 11 p.m.), ESPNU is up +19 percent (51,000 vs. 43,000) from one week earlier and down -11 percent (51,000 vs. 57,000) from the same week one year ago (July 4-10, 2016).

In total viewership for its entire week in Total Day (6 a.m. to 5:59 a.m.), ESPNU is up +13 percent (34,000 vs. 30,000) from one week earlier and down -15 percent (34,000 vs. 40,000) from the same week one year ago (July 4-10, 2016).

<!– ESPNU's daily show viewership averages for the week:

  • “Dan Le Batard Show” (ESPNU, June 26-30): 20,000 (13,000 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.