To the shock of no one, the hype for the Michael Jordan documentary was at an all time high upon its premiere on Sunday. The first two parts not only delivered on the hype but it also broke ratings record. Fans of the greatest basketball player of all time rushed to ESPN and ESPN2 in droves to watch the first two episodes of The Last Dance. Because of this, the documentary averaged 6.1 million viewers for episodes 1 and 2 across ESPN & ESPN2 from 9-11 p.m. ET, making it the new ratings record holder as the most viewed ESPN Documentary content in the networks history.
On ESPN alone, the two hours averaged 5.3 million viewers, with episode 1 delivering 5.7 million viewers and episode 2 delivering 5 million.
The premiere episodes rank as the two most-viewed original content broadcasts on ESPN Networks since 2004, surpassing the 2012 film “You Don’t Know Bo” (3.6 million). This year, it is also the most-viewed telecast on ESPN since the CFP National Championship Game. Additionally, “The Last Dance” ranks as the most-watched telecast among adults 18-34 and 18-49 since sports halted across broadcast and cable networks.
As the series progresses, it’s safe to say that the ratings will continue to grow for the documentary that is already certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 100 percent rating.
