or


[05/11/20 - 02:18 PM]
"The Last Dance" Premieres Continue to Inspire Significant Audiences, Averages 5.6 Million Viewers Across First 8 Episodes
ESPN spins the numbers for Sunday, May 10.
[via press release from ESPN]

"The Last Dance" Premieres Continue To Inspire Significant Audiences, Averages 5.6 Million Viewers Across First 8 Episodes

Episodes 7 and 8 Average 5.1 Million Viewers

Audiences Soar to Average of 12.2 Million with Additional Airings and Reporting

"The Last Dance" continues to be viewed by an extensive audience week after week, averaging 5.6 million viewers across premieres of its first eight episodes, based on initial Nielsen reporting. The significant audiences across four separate Sundays is 57% more viewers than the next-closest documentary debut on ESPN ("You Don't Know Bo" in 2012). On Sunday, May 10th, Episodes 7 and 8 averaged 5.1 million viewers across ESPN & ESPN2 from 9-11 p.m. ET, with episode 7 (9-10 p.m.) averaging 5.3 million viewers and episode 8 (10-11 p.m.) averaging 4.9 million viewers, based on initial Nielsen reporting.

Since sports halted in mid-March, ESPN has aired the 10 most-viewed sports telecasts, with all eight episode premieres of "The Last Dance" ranking among them.

Following each premiere episode, the audience for "The Last Dance" continues to grow with video on demand, DVR viewing and through encore presentations. Accounting for all airings, episodes 1-6 have an average viewership of 12.2 million. Additional reporting for episodes 7 and 8 will be available this week.

Episode Viewership*
Episode 1 13,748,000
Episode 2 13,891,000
Episode 3 12,646,000
Episode 4 13,189,000
Episode 5 10,255,000
Episode 6 9,378,000

*Viewership includes DVR and Re-airs through 5/7 and VOD through 6am 5/11.

The top five metered markets for episodes 7 and 8 included: Chicago (11.6 rtg), Greensboro, N.C. (5.7 rtg.), Raleigh-Durham (4.6 rtg.), Nashville (4.4 rtg.), and Columbus (4.2 rtg.).

"The Last Dance" on social:

"The Last Dance" drove more social video views than any other program yesterday with 6.8M total views. The series again catapulted to the Top Trend on Twitter along with numerous storylines making their way into the top 20 throughout the night.

Grand Finale

The final two episodes of "The Last Dance" will air on ESPN (TV-MA) & ESPN2 (TV-14) on Sunday, May 17th from 9-11pm ET.

Please Note: All audience numbers from the Sunday premieres are based on Nielsen's live + same day fast national reporting.





  [may 2020]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
     


· LAST DANCE, THE (ESPN)




most recent ratings | view all posts
[05/08/26 - 09:18 AM]
TNT Sports Delivers Its Most-Watched MLB Regular Season Start Since 2015
The Yankees/Mariners season opener on March 31 delivered 562,000 viewers and peaked at 735,000, making it the most watched opener on TBS since 2012.

[05/06/26 - 10:01 AM]
Strong Month of Sports Propels ESPN Studio Shows to Record Viewership for April
The entire lineup of ESPN studio shows was up 21% overall in viewership over April of 2025 and up 10% year-over-year (YOY) in the coveted Persons ages 18-49 demographic.

[05/05/26 - 03:52 PM]
ESPN Networks Aired Its Most Viewed First Round of the Current Rights Deal of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
ESPN also delivered three of the top five matchups in the First Round including the Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins Game 1 (2.1 million viewers).
[05/05/26 - 03:36 PM]
NBC and Peacock Deliver the Most-Watched First Round Game 7 in NBA History for Saturday Night's 76ers-Celtics
Saturday night's matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 11.0 million viewers on NBC and Peacock.
[05/05/26 - 02:33 PM]
TNT Sports Delivers Its Most Watched NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round Ever
Game 7 of the Montreal/Tampa Bay series on Sunday, May 3 averaged 2.3 million viewers, the most-watched First Round game on cable ever featuring a Canadian team.
[05/05/26 - 02:24 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Flexes Double-Digit Season-to-Date Viewership Increase
2,130,000 viewers tuned-in to FOX on Saturday, May 2, for a two-game slate highlighted by the Cardinals' 3-2 Victory over the Dodgers in most of the country.
[05/05/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of April 27 - The Hunt Continues as "Apex" Takes No. 1 for a Second Week
Plus: Revenge might be a dish best served cold, but "Man on Fire" served it up hot, reaching No. 1 on the English TV list with 11 million views.
[05/03/26 - 02:40 PM]
NBC Sports Delivers the Most-Watched Kentucky Derby on Record, Averaging 19.6 Million Viewers on NBC & Peacock in Historic "Run for the Roses"
Viewership peaked at 24.4 million viewers from 7-7:15 p.m. ET, as jockey Jose Ortiz guided Golden Tempo around the final turn to win by a neck over Renegade, and made Cherie DeVaux the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner.

[05/01/26 - 01:33 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Jumps Back from Spring Break with Fifth Straight Week of Growth Among Both Total Viewers and Households
Dominating the New York market, "Live with Kelly and Mark" towers over its closest competition this season by double and triple digits in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Women 25-54.
[05/01/26 - 08:05 AM]
NBC Sports' NBA Playoff Viewership on NBC & Peacock Up 58% vs. Comparable Coverage Last Year Through First 13 Games
This is the first time in 24 years that NBC Sports is presenting the NBA Playoffs.
[04/30/26 - 02:17 PM]
ABC News Is #1 in Total Viewers Sunday Morning and in Late-Night
ABC News' "Nightline" ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers (931,000) for the week of April 20.
[04/29/26 - 04:01 PM]
"American Idol" Scores 5.3 Million Total Viewers with Biggest Audience in Over 2 Months During Taylor Swift Night
Monday's episode was the No. 1 entertainment program on the night among Total Viewers (5.34 million) and Adults 18-49 (0.42 rating).
[04/29/26 - 02:41 PM]
Record Breaker! ESPN Airs Most-Viewed First Round Game 5 Ever on Cable, Extending Milestone Run of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday averaged 2 million viewers, up 190% vs. ESPN's First Round Game 5 average last year.
[04/28/26 - 03:41 PM]
TNT Sports Continues Viewership Surge for 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs
Minnesota's Game 4 victory over Dallas on Saturday averaged 1.9 million viewers on TBS, truTV and HBO Max.
[04/28/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of April 20 - Charlize Theron Climbs to No. 1 with "Apex" in This Week's Top 10
Another warning to be careful who you trust, the psychological thriller series "Unchosen" debuted at No. 1 on the English TV list with 10.4 million views.